The Fate of the Boys
by Hammsters
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if there was a girl on the island? 16 year old Leah is,and she'll do anything to save the boys from themselves.But will her efforts be enough? Roger's a power-crazed maniac, Piggy and Simon might live. Ralph/OC/Jack COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

"Leah, come on! We don't want to miss our flight do we?" My mom called from the other room. Actually, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I hate planes. "Leanna!" I sighed as I shoved one last thing into my backpack and ran out the door. We drove quickly to the London airport. I was glad to leave. There's only so much England a girl could take. Especially one that thought her family should've spent their money on season tickets to the White Sox instead of a lame vacation. The thought of going back to my home in the suburbs of Chicago almost made it seem worth it climbing into that flying metal death trap.

"What's with the bag?" Sarah, my older sister, asked as we dropped into our seats.

"It's stuff I don't trust the airline people with." Sarah rolled her eyes at me.

"God, you're so paranoid!" I shrugged and closed my eyes. Might as well try to get some sleep. We had a long flight ahead of us.

I woke up about and hour later feeling nauseas. The plane was shaking and rumbling. I started freaking out and hyperventilating. "Leah, it's okay! It's just turbulence. Breathe!" Sarah commanded. I took a few deep breaths and began to relax. I realized that I really needed to use the bathroom. I unbuckled my seat belt and walked down the aisle to the bathroom. When I came out the plane was shaking even more violently than before. The pilot's voice came out of a speaker saying to put on our seatbelts. _Don't need to tell _me _twice, _I thought. I hastily buckled myself into my seat. "Just turbulence, just turbulence, just turbulence," Sarah chanted, more to herself than anyone else. The lights began to flash on and off and suddenly a sensation of falling started in my stomach. I looked out the window and what I saw made me regret that decision instantly. The plane was plummeting toward the ocean. I thought I was going to puke. All around me, passengers screamed their lungs out. Despite the fact that I was currently staring Death in the face, I couldn't help but think, _Turbulence my ass!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey hey hey everybody! hammsters here! Now, seeing as I am neither a man or dead, I am not William Golding, so I'm pretty positive that I don't own anything but Leah and this particular story (although it would be awesome if I did!) This is only my second fanfic, and I haven't even finished my first, so have mercy! Read, love, REVIEW!**

It became hard to breathe. The oxygen was being sucked from the plane. Passengers choked and gasped for breath. Outside, chunks of metal were being torn from the wings. The door at the front of the plane flew off. I felt the suction pulling me from my seat like a vacuum cleaner. I felt my heart pounding, threatening to burst out of my chest. Several people were turning blue from the lack of air, others were already dead. The cold, forbidding waters were coming closer and closer. _So this is how it ends, _I thought. The plane smacked the water hard and plunged into the depths. The interior flooded with water upon impact. I fumbled with my seatbelt until I was freed. Other passengers struggled but did not have my luck. I swam forward to the door and out. I slowly clawed my way to the air above. A few seconds later, a dozen or so people broke through the surface, including my whole family and the co-pilot. The co-pilot had a sheet of rubber in his arms. He blew into a hole in the sheet and it expanded into a rubber boat. We all clambered in in a rush. A storm was raging around us. The sea rocked the boat up and down, up and down. The waves grew taller and taller. A wall of water crashed down on top of us. The water became so violent that I was tossed out of the boat.

"LEAH!" my mom called. My dad reached over and tried to pull me back in, but my hand slipped free of his.

"MOM, DAD, SARAH! HELP!" I screamed. My dad tried once again to pull me back, but he couldn't reach me. The waves pushed me in one direction, my family in another, further and further away. Soon I couldn't see them anymore. Eventually the storm ended and the skies cleared. I saw a strip of metal floating a few feet away. I paddled over to it and used it a s a flotation device. I lay with my head resting on it for a long time. Maybe it was an hour, maybe it was two. I don't really know. All I know is that in the distance, there was a little green spec, just floating there on the horizon. It grew closer and closer as the tide pushed me forward. As it came closer, the green became the leafy foliage of trees and golden sand appeared beneath the green. An island. I released my metal floatie and used my best freestyle stroke to reach the shore as quickly as possible. My swim team coach would've been proud. I flopped down on the beach, panting hard. Here we are. Caught up to the present. I catch my breath and sit up. I shrug off my backpack, which I still ahve slung over my shoulder, and survey the contents. I find three graphic tees (much like the one I'm wearing) a White Sox t-shirt, a pair of Sofees, a Nutrigrain bar, a bag of Goldfish, a wrinkled mictureof me with my family at my sister's high school graduation, a cell phone, an iPod touch, and my ratty old Michigan sweatshirt that's at least 10 sizes too big. It's not much, won't keep me alive too long. Wait, back-track. THERE'S A CELL PHONE! I'M SAVED! I spring to my feet and slide it open. One look at the screen and my heart sinks.

"Shit on a stick, crap on a rug, oh sweet queen mother of all the fucks! No. Friggin'. CELL RECEPTION? THAT'S IT! The second I'm off this God forsaken island I'm switching ot AT&T! You hear that T-mobile? YOU HEAR THAT!" by the time I complete my rant I'm completely out of breath. I stuff my belongings back into my bag and sling it over my back. I make my way to the jungle and explore. Absolutely no signs of civilization. Great. I'm trapped on a deserted island with no way of being rescued. "Fucking T-mobile." I grumble.

I get to the middle of the jungle and feel like I'm going to collapse. I climb to the lowest branch of a tree, sit down, and lean against the trunk. I pull out my iPod and begin to sing along to "Halleluiah", hoping to comfort myself

**Jack's POV**

We've been hunting for hours and caught boys and I are just heading back to camp when I fear something, a voice. I tell the boys to head back to camp and I follow the sweet, melodic sound, lured by the siren's song.

**_"I heard there was a secret chord that _**

**_David played and it pleased the Lord. _**

**_But you don't really care for music do you?_**

**_It goes like this the fourth, the fifth,_**

**_The minor fall the major lift_**

**_The baffled king composing Halleluiah" _**the voice is clear now, strong, close. I come to a clearing, the source of the sound, and I'm shocked by what I see. There's a girl, about fifteen or sixteen, sitting in one of the trees, with an iPod in her hand and earbuds in her ears. Her dark brown hair is cut very short and curls up at the end, giving her the appearance of a pixie. Her face is round, I think it would be described as heart shaped. Her eyes are closed as she sings. She is breathtakingly beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. An angel, with a voice to match. But her cheeks are red and splotchy and streaked with tears. At the last "halleluiah" she bursts out crying. I feel like I'm intruding. I feel the urge to go and comfort her, but I fight it. Instead, I run back to camp. The boys need to know about this.

**Leah's POV**

I begin crying as I finish the song. I reach into my bag and fish out the picture of my family. The tears rush out faster, burn my eyes hotter. I sit there for a few minutes, cradling the photo to my chest, then wipe the tears away. My reflection in the blackened screen of my iPod tells me that you wouldn't even know I'd been crying, but I'm not sure why I care. I jump down from my tree and begin walking. There's got to be something edible somewhere in this jungle, and I'm determined to find it, whatever it is. My hunt is cut short by a trumpet-like sound. Could it be? Could there really be people on this island? I sprint soundlessly toward the general direction of the sound. After a few minutes, I see a circle of people about a hundred feet away. I climb up into the trees and hop from limb to limb until I'm directly above the center of the circle. I listen carefully to their conversation and quickly learn that the whole assembly is made up of British boys. I just couldn't really get away from England could I? The branch I'm on is weak and begins to creak and groan. The blonde boy who's been talking hands a shell to a red-headed boy.

"Okay, what'd you wanna tell us Jack?" The blonde boy asks. Just as the red-headed boy, Jack, opens his mouth to speak, my branch breaks and I belly-flop onto the ground right in the middle of the circle. Quickly, I scramble to my feet, brush off the dirt and compose myself, my feet shoulder-width apart and my hands on my hips.

"Hiya!" I say, smiling brightly at the boys. They all gawk at me as if they've never seen a girl in their lives. This should be interesting.

**Okay, so how'd I do? Great, okay, terrible? If you loved it I would love to hear it. If you thought it was just okay, please reiew and tell me so. If you hated it and think it's the absolute worst fanfiction ever written, I'm glad to hear it. In fact, you're my best friend in the whole wide world if you hated it. So please tells me so. Just please review, no matter what you thought. Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! So Leah has found the boys! Now, what shall she do? Let's see shall we? Enjoy!  
>Simon: I belive you're forgetting something.<br>Me: Bug off Simon.  
>Piggy: He's right you know.<br>Me: How'd you guys even get on here? Begone! Both of you!  
>Leah: Just do it!<br>Me: Nah, I'm good.  
>Jack: Suck it up!<br>Me: Fine! (mutters not so nice stuff about Jack) I'm a chick. And I'm thirteen. And alive. Therefore, it appears that I, in fact, am not William Golding. I own nothing peoples! There. Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Jack's POV**

Ralph hands me the conch. I'm about to tell them all about the girl when something or someone drops from a tree into the center of the circle. Well, speak of the devil! The girl leaps to her feet and dusts herself off. This time I get a good look at her. She's got big beautiful emerald green eyes. She's wearing black Converse, dark skinny jeans, and a white graphic tee shirt. The shirt has a porcupine and a balloon on it and says 'Caught in a bad romance.' Nice.

"Hiya!" she exclaims, breaking the awkward silence. The guys continue to stare at her, even the littluns.

"That." I reply. "_That _is what I wanted to tell you about" Ralph glares at me.

"You knew she was here? And you didn't help her, or bring her here?" I shrug and he rolls his eyes at me. We all return to staring at the pretty girl before us.

**Leah's POV**

The boys continue to stare at me in shock.

"Um, could you guys maybe stop staring at me? It's a little bit creepy" They just keep staring. "Yea, I get it, I'm a girl. You know, a creature of the opposite gender, you probably saw one everyday before coming to Dude Central," The boys still didn't stop. This was getting ridiculous. "Oh, come on! Take a friggin' picture, it'll last longer!" This gets their attention. The boys finally stop staring. A few blush, like the blonde boy, who seems to be the leader.

"Sorry, my name's Ralph, I'm 17 and I'm the chief," the blonde boy says. _Who called it! _"This is Simon, he's 16, Piggy, he's 16, Maurice, he's 15, Samneric, they're both 14, they're twins, Jack, he's 17, Roger, he's 16, Bill, he's 14, Percival, he's 7, Peter is 8, Henry, he's 6," Ralph continues introducing the 30 plus boys one by one, and I focus hard trying to remember their names, but in the end I only remember about a dozen. Finally, Ralph finishes.

"Hi, I'm Leah, I'm 16, it's nice to meet you all," I smile politely and most of them smile back. Jack smirks. Roger glares. Jerk.

"Okay, well this is all fine and dandy," _Fine and dandy? Dude, what decade do you live in? _"But unless you'd like to die on this island, the hunters need to hunt and Samneric need to go watch Ralph's stupid fire" Ralph barks. _Well ain't he a real ray of sunshine! _Ralph scowls, but agrees. Everyone disperses and heads out to do whatever they're supposed to do to help out. I have absolutely nothing to do. Feeling lost, I walk up to Ralph.

"What should I do?" I ask. He smiles.

"Come on, you can help me and Simon build shelters." He says, walking me over to the spot on the beach where the partially built shelters were.

**Ralph's POV**

Leah, Simon and I worked on shelters all afternoon. Well, at least, until Simon and I accidentally dropped our building materials on Leah's feet one time too many.

"Okay. Seeing as I enjoy having use of both of my feet, I'm going fishy." She tells us after we dropped one particularly heavy branch on her toes. She jogs toward where the littluns are playing and approaches Piggy. "Hey Piggy, I'm going fishing. Wanna come?"

"Yea!" he exclaims enthusiastically, glad to be included. I smile, watching them saunter over in the direction of the pond. Apparently, I do this a little too long.

"Helooooo? Earth to Ralph," Simon says.

"Sorry, guess I got distracted" I reply. He smirks.

"Oooh, I get it. Ralphy and Leah sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-" I slug him in the gut, cutting short his song.

"Shut up" Simon just smirks more.

"Oh yea. You definitely like her" I ignore him this time. I guess I do kind of like Leah. She's pretty, and helpful, and she's nice to Piggy, and she has a nice laugh. But we're trapped on an island. I'm sure having a boyfriend is just about the last thing on her mind, and getting a girlfriend should certainly be the last thing on mine.

**Leah's POV**

I walk down the beach with Piggy.

"Why'd you pick me?' He asks. His question catches me off guard.

"Huh?"

"Why'd you ask me to come?" Piggy repeats.

"I'd get lonely fishing all by myself, and you seem like good company. You remind me of my best friend back home. Except you're a guy." I explain. He smiles.

"Thanks. The other boys don't really like me that much."

"Aw. Well don't worry. We can be friends. You seem nice. What's your favorite subject?" I ask. His face lights up and he starts telling me a ton of interesting stuff about science. He goes on for about 10 minutes before getting a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm boring you aren't I?" He says.

"Not at all! This is all really interesting! I used to go to the Museum of Science and Industry with my family every month and it was practically all I ever thought about besides baseball and hanging out with my friends. The Museum of Science and Industry is a museum in Chicago. It rocks. I'm, like, a total dork for saying this, but going there ranks an even second place on my list of things I like to do." He laughs.

"You're not a dork. So what's your favorite subject?" A huge grin spreads across my face.

"I'm absolutely obsessed with history. Especially the _Titanic, _the Romanov's, and Abraham Lincoln. I know practically everything about Lincoln" We go back and forth exchanging facts about history and science for a while while we fish. Eventually it occurs to me that if we don't hurry up we might miss lunch. God I wish I knew what time it is. "You know what this place needs? A sundial."

"I know! I've been suggesting that all along but no one will listen to me!"

"It would be so great! We wouldn't be late to stuff, we could have a routine time for the littluns to go to bed, we might even be able to set up a schedule so we could get more done in a day. But I think that last one might be a bit of a stretch. I hate schedules." I explain.

"Me too!" Piggy agrees.

"Let's tell Ralph when we get back. But leave out the schedule thing." Piggy nods in agreement and we head back to camp. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all.

**Yay! Piggy's made a friend. Good. Maybe NOW they'll treat the poor guy with respect (but probably not :'-C). Hope you liked it! And, of course, review review review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Thanks to anyone who reviewed last time. Your critcism and approval really helps me to make the story better and I'm glad to get it. Well, here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

Piggy and I walk back to camp and see Ralph sitting on a log chomping on fruit and pig. He sees us and jogs over.

"Hey guys! Ya catch anything?" Piggy holds up three medium size fish.

"Ralph, me and Leah were talking, we think that we should build a sundial."

"Ah, Piggy, not that again!" Ralph whines.

"It could be really useful!" Piggy insists. Ralph looks like he's about to say no, but I make a puppy dog face and he gives in.

""I'll think about it okay?" Piggy's face lights up and he smiles brightly. Piggy heads off to… I actually don't know where he's going. Ralph and I take a seat on the log he was previously occupying. I grab some meat and fruit and eat hungrily. The littluns are all running around the beach, chasing after Piggy. I notice one boy is missing.

"Where's Simon?" I ask. Ralph shrugs.

"He's always going off on his own to God knows where. He took off as soon as we finished the last of the shelters." I look over to where the row of shelters is. There are eight of them. "One is for the littluns, the last one's for Samneric. They both snore and talk in their sleep. You can stay with Robert, Piggy, and Mike; Roger, Bill, and Maurice; or Jack, Simon, and me." I think about it. From the looks of it, Roger would like nothing more than to gut me like a fish and dance on my grave, so that one's a no. As much as I like hanging out with Piggy, I can smell his roommates from a mile away. They have a most unfortunate case of B.O. That leaves me with one option.

"Jack, Simon and you" I say. He smirks.

"You decided that real quick. Do you maybe have a little crush on somebody, Leah?" I laugh.

"Yea, Simon's a real cutie ain't he?" Ralph's eyes widen. He looks shocked and… disappointed? It's my turn to smirk. "Gotcha" He smiles and chuckles. "So what's on the agenda for the afternoon chief?"

"Well the shelters are all finished, Piggy's looking after the littluns, and Samneric are watching the fire. Looks like we just get to hang out. Wanna go for a swim?" he asks. I start fiddling with the hem of my t-shirt. "Unless, of course, you're afraid of getting your clothes wet." he adds teasingly. I glare, grab my backpack, and disappear into the seventh shelter, the one that I now share with Jack, Ralph, and Simon. Ralph looks confused. I come back out wearing a White Sox t-shirt and black Sofees.

"Let's go!" I grab his hand and pull him up. We run to the pond where I went fishing with Piggy and I immediately leap into the water. I swim over to the ledge to see why he's taking so long. I look up and see him taking off his shirt and doing a cannon ball into the water. It was all I could do to keep from drooling. In addition to having a handsome, angelic face, Ralph's got a six pack. Now normally, I'm not the boy-crazy kind of gal, but can you really blame me for thinking that this island keeps getting better and better?

"What are you looking at?" Aw, shit, have I been staring?

"What's wrong Ralphy, afraid to get your clothes wet?" he looks slightly embarrassed for a second, but gets over it quickly.

"Nah, I just didn't want to deny you the pleasure of seeing me in all my shirtless glory" I laugh.

"Wow, how thoughtful of you" I reply sarcastically. He smirks.

"Oh come on, admit it. You like what you see" is his cocky come back.

"Yes Ralph, you're gorgeous," I say kiddingly (but meaning every word0, "Can we swim now?" he nods and dives under water. I get out and climb onto the highest of the nearby rocks. "Look out below!" I cry as I leap high into the air and then dive into the water below. Ralph laughs.

"That's nothing. Watch this." He climbs onto the rock and jumps up. He flips twice midair, then dives down, slicing evenly through the water.

"Show off!" I yell. Ralph laughs and splashes me with water. I splash him back and soon we have a full-scale splashing war on our hands. Eventually, our play is cut short by our growling stomachs. We head back to camp but Ralph, I'm glad to report, leaves his shirt off.

When we return, neither Simon or the hunters are back yet. So we just sit by the shelters and talk.

"How long have you guys been here?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"I'm not sure really. A month, two months tops."

"Wow. That's a long time. But at least it means you guys have gotten the hang of surviving out here. That's good right?" he laughs.

"Yea, I guess. So you just got here huh?" I nod. "Do you know what the date is?" I'm slightly surprised. He's been on this island over a month and _that's_ the first question that comes to mind?

"Yea, it's July 30th." I tell him.

"That sounds about right. So how'd you get stuck here?' He asks.

"My family was on vacation in London for two weeks. We were on the flight back when our plane crashed. We were floating around in a raft and a storm came and I fell overboard. The waves pushed me in this direction and here I am" I explain.

"Wow. That sucks. But at least you landed here. You'll be safe here with us until we get rescued, I promise." Ralph assures me. I smile.

"Thanks Ralph" A loud whooping sound comes from the forest. The hunters emerge from the dark carrying a dead pig. They've abandoned the tattered remains of shirts they'd had on in the jungle. My jaw drops slightly, and once again, I'm barely keeping from drooling. If I thought Ralph looked good without a shirt on, then Jack's drop-dead gorgeous. This kid is smoking hot. But seeing as Jack is carrying a dead pig (and sweating like one), I definitely prefer Ralph's company. The boys cook the meat over a small fire for what seems like forever. Finally, the pig is done and everyone digs in happily. I see Piggy, still playing with the littluns, looking at the food hungrily. I finish off the last of my meal and get up to take over the babysitting. Ralph stops me.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go watch the littluns. Piggy deserves a break, he's been watching them all day." Ralph smiles and nods in agreement. I walk up to Piggy and tap him on the shoulder. "Go get some food. I'll take over from here." Piggy smiles gratefully and rushes over to where the boys are eating.

I watch the littluns for the rest of the night. It's actually kind of fun. They remind me of my little brother and my younger cousins back home. When the sun starts to go down and the littluns get tired, I walk them to their shelter and get them ready for bed.

"Sing us a song!" Percival shouts. The boys agree. "But not a lullaby!" he adds."Yea, we hate lullabies!" Henry interjects. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jack walk in and occupy a corner, but I ignore him. I start singing my little brother's favorite song, "Good Riddance" by Green Day. As I get into the song I remember there's a reason I rarely sing this song (besides the fact that it's about death.) My voice cracks as I try to sing a particularly low note. The littluns don't seem to mind, but I hear Jack snickering in the corner.

"Oh, like you could do better!" I snap. He smirks.

"Wanna bet?" He continues the song where I left off. His voice is rich and deep and calming. I feel myself drifting to sleep along with the littluns. Once I get over the initial shock of hearing such a beautiful sound coming from the leader of the hunters, I join in with the harmony. By the time we reach the finish, each of the littluns is snoring softly. Jack and I walk out. "You're pretty good" he admits., "Just stick to the higher notes from now on, 'kay?"

"You're not so bad yourself" I say, deciding to ignore the last part of his comment.

"Thanks. I was head of the choir before I came here. All the hunters were in the choir." This surprises me a bit.

" I used to be in the choir too!" I exclaim, "Of course, I was never head of the choir. I caused too much trouble for that" He laughs.

"YOU were causing problems?" he asks in disbelief.

"Oh yea, I used to be a real smart ass. Eventually, my choir instructor suggested that sports might be a better fit for me. Or military school. He was really pushing for military school."

"I can definitely see you in military school. You look like a real killer to me." I smirk.

"Yep, that's me." We sit there staring at the fire in awkward silence for a while. "I thought you guys were all from England"

"We are." he confirms.

"Then why don't you have an accent?"

"I lived in Milwaukee till I was 9"

"Oh, that's cool. What part of England do you live in?""London. We all go to the same school."

"It's an all boy school?" I ask curiously.

"Nah, that's just lucky for you" he replies.

"Oh yea, I feel so fortunate." I answer sarcastically. He scowls.

"It could be a lot worse. The view's nice. I mean come on! Look at me!" Jack exclaims somewhat sarcastically, gesturing to his bare, muscled chest.

"That supposed to make me like this place more?"

"Hey!" he answers indignantly. I smirk.

"I'm sorry Jack. You're godly. Happy?"

"Damn right!" he smirks. We sit quietly and I shiver. "Are you cold?" he reaches for the black cloak he's sitting on.

"No, I'm fine." I grab my Michigan sweatshirt out of my backpack and pull it on. I tuck in my feet and arms until all 5'2" of me is hidden inside. He laughs.

"Nice." I smile brightly. "It's getting dark. I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"Nah, I'm gonna read a bit." I say, waving my new copy of _Lord of the Flies _in the air.

"Okay, just don't stay out alone too long." he warns.

"Who are you, my dad?" I tease.

"Just being careful. Never can be too safe with the beast out there," he says.

"Yea, yea, yea. Good night Jack!"

"Night!"

**Ralph's POV**

I hear Jack and Leah talking outside by the fire. I don't like how well they're getting along. That kid's up to something. I remember a conversation I had with him a few weeks ago.

"_Come on, lighten up! There's no adults telling us what to do. No girls. Although I wouldn't mind getting a little every once in a while" Jack said. I laugh._

"_Yea, like you've ever gotten any." Jack shrugs._

"_Still wouldn't mind."_

I scowl at the memory. Is that what he's trying to do with Leah? It better not be. She deserves better than that.

**Jack's POV**

I walk into the shelter and see Ralph lying on his back with his eyes open. He smikles when I come in by myself.

"She turn you down?"

"Bet you'd like that wouldn't you blondie?" he figures out that, technically, she didn't turn me down and a worried look crosses his face. Well, what do you know? Blondie's got a thing for Leah too. More competition between me and him. Excellent.

**What do ya think? Did I do okay? What do ya think about both boys liking Leah? Any guesses on who whe might end up with? I already know of course, but I'd love to hear who you think it'll be. And, of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story and any suggestions you might have so pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya! So, I've been told that Simon was a little out of character in the last chapter he was in. I've tried to write him a little more in character this time, but he'll still be a little out of character because he's a modern day teen ager in my story instead of a ten year old in the sixties. Hope you like it!**

**Jack's POV**

I wake up at the crack of dawn to go hunting. When I crawl, I see Leah. She's sleeping, snoring softly, her head resting on her open book. I smile, walk over, and kneel beside her.

"Leah, rise and shine" I whisper, shaking her shoulders gently. She groans.

"Go away!" she says, shoving my face with her hand. I laugh. I lift her up and carry her like a baby.

"Got to stay in the shelter sleepy head." Leah wriggles and fusses and smacks me in the face again.

"Put me down Jack!" she shrieks. I set her down in the shelter.

"There. Ya happy?" she grins widely, her eyes squinted and her nose crinkled.

"Extremely" Leah flops down and immediately falls asleep. I chuckle softly as I go to wake the hunters.

**Leah's POV**

The book the _Lord of the Flies _is a weird one. Even weirder is how similar it is to our current situation.

1. The names of the boys: Piggy, Ralph, Simon, Roger, Samneric, Jack Merridew, etc. Those are the names of my fellow castaways.

2. The descriptions of the characters match the appearances the boys to a tee.

3. The boys ridiculing Piggy.

4. Piggy's idea for the sundial.

5. The chief Ralph

6. The choir boys/hunters.

7. Simon disappearing constantly.

Frankly, the similarities are really creeping me out. If I find one more detail, I'll be 100% confident that the boys from the book are the boys on the island with me (that or I'm crazy.)

I crawl out from the shelter and see Ralph and arguing with Jack over who know what.

8. The rivalry between Jack and Ralph.

I decide to disregard that insignificant little fact. The two boys are glaring resentfully at one another. They're so similar, yet so different. They both have strong faces, broad chests, muscular (but not too muscular) arms, bright, infectious smiles. But where as Ralph possesses pure, heavenly beauty, Jack glows with a mischievous, wicked nature, embodying the wild spirit of all humanity. Looking on with a dark, sullen face that can only be described as demonic is Roger. The hatred in his eyes when he notices me sends a shiver of fear up my spine and makes me want to crawl under a rock. The boys see me watching them argue, shoot each other one last furious glare, and part ways. I go fishing with Piggy once again, but we don't stay as ling this time. We leave after about an hour and begin to work on our sundial. While Piggy searches for a place that will give the sundial the largest amount of direct sunlight, I scramble through the woods, picking up branch after branch in search of the perfect center for our sundial. I eventually find a nice thick branch that's straight down the middle. I hack off the extra branches and jam it deep into the sandy earth. We pile wet sand and rocks around it until we are satisfied with it's sturdiness. We mark numbers 1-12 in a circle around the branch and look over our work one last time. Piggy and I start back for camp.

"I'm going to look around a bit okay?" Piggy looks uneasy, but he says okay and that he'll tell Ralph.

I stumble through brambles, bushes, and clumps of vine. The branches and "creepers" get thicker the deeper into the jungle I go and reach out to claw at me. I move faster and faster through the surrounding blackness, wishing I had stayed with Piggy. I see streaks of light up ahead and leap out from the grasp of the monstrous jungle. I hit something hard. It gasps.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" I apologize.

"God Leah, you scared the crap out of me!" Simon says.

"Sorry, I was just exploring a bit and I got a little freaked out."

"It's fine. What are you doing out here by yourself?" he asks.

"I could ask you the same question" I retort.

"There's this place I found out in the jungle. I was just heading out there." he explains.

"Oh, sorry, I'll get out of your way then." I start heading back.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself. Do you want to come with?" Simon asks. I'm surprised.

"Are you sure? You don't have to show it to me if you don't want to. I don't want to intrude" Simon smiles.

"It's fine. I wanted to show it to you at some point anyway. Come on!" he guides me through the jungle, going through a lit easier than I had been moments before. We finally come to a stop.

"Tada!" behind him is the most beautiful meadow I've ever seen. Wildflowers grow in patches on the forest floor, a rainbow of vibrant color. Sunlight peaks through the leafy foliage of the treetops above. Colorful butterflies dance through the streams of light.

"It's… amazing" I say in awed respect. "How did you find it?" Simon shrugs.

"I was just wandering around one day and here it was!"

"I definitely see why you disappear here every day." He smiles.

"It's so peaceful. It reminds me of home. My mom loved flowers. Every spring, she grew the most amazing gardens. Our family had picnics in the garden whenever the weather was nice. Coming here makes me feel less homesick." I sit there quietly, imagining Simon healthy, well-fed, happy, laughing with his family. I feel like I'm forgetting something. "What do you miss the most about home?" Simon asks.

"I miss my family. My sister was leaving for college in two weeks. Bradley University. I had a little brother, Ty, he was the same age as the littluns. Me and my sister used to chase him around the house nonstop. It seemed like he was on a never ending sugar rush." Simon smiles and nods understandingly. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Yea, I had a twin sister, Ally. She went to another school, a boarding school. I really miss her and my parents" We sit and talk for a while before Simon remembers that everyone thinks I'm by myself and is probably getting worried. Sadly, we have to leave. When we walk into the camp, Piggy and Ralph look relieved.

"Thank God, you had me worried for a second there." Ralph sighs. Simon laughs.

"Don't worry, I found her."

"What? Did ya think the 'beastie' was gonna get me?" Ralph blushes a little bit.

"No. But the hunters are still out there." he says.

"And the hunters have resorted to cannibalism? What a shame." I reply in false solemnity. Simon chuckles.

"No, but they could have hit you by mistake. Piggy tells us.

"Well they didn't. Thanks for the concern, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Besides, Simon was there" I reason. Ralph and Piggy sigh.

"Just don't wander off on your own anymore okay?" Ralph says. I hold up the first three fingers on my right hand.

"Scout's honor" I promise. They look at me doubtfully. "What? I was a girl scout. Once. When I was like five." The boys roll their eyes at me and go off in separate directions. I sit down on a log beside Ralph. It's too cold to go swimming and there's nothing to do. This day should be real fun.

After dinner I watch the littluns. Jack comes and talks to me for a little while. He seems just as happy about my expedition as Ralph did.

"You shouldn't be wandering around on your own. What if you got hurt, or lost?" he demands.

"But I didn't! And I ran into Simon. I wasn't alone." I tell him. He doesn't look convinced.

"You were counting on Simon to protect you?" he asks in disbelief. I shrug.

"He's out there everyday and he's never gotten hurt.

"And that's a wonder in itself. The kid's weak, skin and bones. He misses every other meal when he's in the jungle."

"Jack you don't have to worry. I was being careful and obviously I haven't been made into the 'beast's' dessert. I'm fine." He doesn't seem happy, but he calms down a bit.

"Just please don't do that again." He pleads. I smile

"I won't," Jack smiles back and leaves. I put the littluns in bed soon after. Once they're asleep, I go out and sit on one of the logs encircling the fire. I pull out _Lord of the Flies _and begin reading. I find another similarity.

's meadow.

"How's the book?" Jack takes a seat on the log next to me.

"Okay. Some of the characters are real jerks though. And there aren't any girls. Other than that they kind of remind me of you guys."

"Oh yea? How so?" Jack , the main characters' descriptions match you, Ralph, Simon, Samneric, Piggy, and Roger." he looks interested.

"Really? What else?"

"They're stuck on an island. Their chief's name is Ralph and looks just like our chief Ralph. There's a bunch of younger kids they call the littluns. There's a chubby boy they call Piggy and no one knows or cares what his real name is. There are hunters that used to be choir boys, There's a 'beastie'" I list.

"That's a lot." Jack looks mildly surprised.

"Oh, and the names of the boys are Ralph, Simon. Maurice, Piggy, Bill, Samneric, who are twins, Peter, Percival, Henry, Roger, and Jack Merridew."

"Maybe it _is _us" Jack jokes.

"Haha very funny"

"No, I'm serious. Maybe the author's, like, psychic or something and foresaw everything that will happen to us. Well, except for you." He looks serious.

"I hope not!" I exclaim. Jack looks confused.

"Why?" he asks.

"I'm only on chapter two, but you'd have to be an idiot not to see that Jack Merridew is the bad guy. Isn't Merridew your last name?" he nods. "The guys psychotic." he grins mischievously.

"Maybe I _am_ the bad guy." he replies

"Shut up," I say, slapping him on the arm. He laughs.

"You never know, I could turn into a raving psychopath"

"You better not!"

"Aw, are you scared Leah?" he asks, grinning wickedly. I humph indignantly.

"Me? Scared? Never." I state simply. He smirks.

"So, according to the _Lord of the Flies _what am I going to do that's so bad?'

"So far all 'you've' done is let the fire go out when a plane was flying overhead." Jack whistles.

"Gosh, you're right Leah. I am awful. They should just lock me up now." he replies sarcastically, holding his arms out as if waiting for handcuffs.

"Shut up!" he just smirks more.

"So who's my henchman?" he asks.

"Your what?"

"my henchman." Jack repeats. "Every bad guy has a crony. Who's mine?"

"Ah, that would be your faithful lapdog Roger. _Lord of the Flies _resident sadist."

"Resident what?"

"Sadist. He gets a sick kick out of hurting other people." I explain.

"Lovely." Jack replies. "Why am I not surprised?" I laugh. Then I pretend to think about it.

"Gee, I wonder." He smiles. We sit in silence a while.

'I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier." He apologizes.

"It's fine. I thought it was cute that you were worried about me." I tell him. He turns red for a second.

"Me? Nah that's Ralph you're thinking of. Practically gave the poor guy a heart attack" he says.

"Really? And how would you know? You were out hunting all day"

"I'm telepathic. Psychic like our buddy…" he peeks at the cover of _Lord of the Flies. _"William Golding.

"Uh-huh. Yea right."

"I am!" Jack insists. I laugh. "Not fallin' for it huh?" he shrugs. "Worth a shot." I smirk.

"Ri-i-i-ight" I say.

"I better head to bed. I'd hate to be falling asleep during a hunt." He says.

"Oh, okay. G'nite" I say. Jack waves.

"Good night." I feel slightly disappointed as I watch him disappear into the shelter, but I brush it off as wishing for company.

**Any thoughts? Was it great, good, horrible? I'd love to hear what you think so please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay. So this chapter's going to be a little from the others I've written. But in a good way (hopefully). It'll change a lot of the rest of the story (kind of). I really hope you like it! Oh, and the poem is "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe.**

The next few days are a lot of the same. Every morning I go fishing with Piggy, every night I play with the littluns and talk to Jack. Sometimes I go to the meadow with Simon, but most days I go swimming with Ralph. This was one of those days.

"Bombs away!" Ralph cries as he leaps into the water. He sinks deep into the depths until I can't see him anymore. I spin around in the water looking for him, but he's nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, I feel a yank on my ankle and I'm pulled underwater. I swim back to the surface and gasp for breath. Ralph's blonde head breaks through the water and he starts laughing his ass off.

"Jerk!" I shriek, shoving his chest hard. He makes a face of mock hurt. I cross my arms and turn away from him.

"Aw, come on Leah," he puts his hands on my shoulders and turns me to face him. "don't be mad. Please?" he makes a puppy dog face. I laugh.

"That's gotta be the most pathetic puppy dog face I've ever seen. He smirks.

"But it kinda turns you on right?" I laugh again.

"Yes. That's exactly what it does." I reply sarcastically.

"So do you forgive me?" he asks hopefully. I smile.

"Yea, I guess." Ralph smiles, gets out of the water, and climbs up on a rock. He pounds his fists on his chest Tarzan-style and cannonballs in. His splash sends a massive wall of water in my direction. I'm soaked. Ralph laughs. It begins to rain, but only a little so we ignore it. But then the thunder and lightning starts.

"Shit!" Ralph shouts. We duck under a rock hanging above the water. "Well this is fun."

"Ain't life grand?" he chuckles. Suddenly, there's an especially loud clap of thunder. I leap and find myself leaning against Ralph, my hands on his bare chest. I back up a little bit. I look up at Ralph, blushing, waiting for his cocky joke. But he doesn't make one. He doesn't even smirk. He just stares into my eyes, his blue ones twinkling. Ralph moves closer. _What's he doing? _His lips press against mine. _Oh my god! Ralph's kissing me! No no no no no! _I push him away gently.

"I'm sorry Ralph. I can't. You're a great guy, but" I start.

"You don't like me that way" he finishes. The look on his face breaks my heart.

"I'm sorry." I repeat.

"It's fine. I understand. We should head back." Ralph's quietthe whole way back. I feel terrible. Why can't I like him back?

The rain stops by the time we reach camp. The hunters arrive with their kill moments later. Thank god, I don't have to sit in awkward silence with Ralph too long. Ralph distances himself from me throughout the rest of the day, but Jack and Simon sit withme while we eat. I eat as quickly as I can and take over littluns watch. It seems to last longer tonight than usual. It's finally time to put them in bed.

"Story, story!" Peter yells. The other littluns begin to chant with him. I'm about to begin a fairytale.

"But no fairytales!" Percival adds. The littluns agree. Shit! I don't know any non-fairytale stories!

"How about a poem?" I ask. They give me their consent.

**"It was many and many a year ago,**  
><strong>In a kingdom by the sea,<strong>  
><strong>That a maiden there lived whom you may know<strong>  
><strong>By the name of Annabel Lee;-<strong>  
><strong>And this maiden she lived with no other thought<strong>  
><strong>Than to love and be loved by me.<strong>

**"_I _was a child and _she _was a child,**  
><strong>In this kingdom by the sea<strong>  
><strong>But we loved with a love that was more than love-<strong>  
><strong>I and my Annabel Lee-<strong>  
><strong>With a love that the winged seraphs in Heaven<strong>  
><strong>Coveted her and me.<strong>

**"And this was the reason that, long ago, **  
><strong>In this kingdom by the sea,<strong>  
><strong>A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling<strong>  
><strong>My beautiful Annabel Lee;<strong>  
><strong>So that her high-born kinsmen came<strong>  
><strong>And bore her away from me,<strong>  
><strong>To shut her up in a sepulchre,<strong>  
><strong>In this kingdom by the sea.<strong>

**"The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,**  
><strong>Went envying her and me-<strong>  
><strong>Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,<strong>  
><strong>In this kingdom by the sea<strong>  
><strong>That the wind came out of the cloud by night,<strong>  
><strong>Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee."<strong> I get about halfway through before forgetting the words. _Damn it!_

**_"_But our love it was stronger by far than the love" **I jump in shock. How did I not see Jack walk in?  
>"<strong>Of those who were older than we-<br>Of many far wiser than we-  
>And neither the angels in Heaven above,<br>Nor the demons down under the sea,  
>Can ever dissever my soul from the soul<br>Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:-**

**"For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams  
>Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;<br>And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes  
>Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:-<br>And so, all the night-tide, Ilie down by the side  
>Of my darling- my darling- my life<br>and my bride,  
>In her sepulchre there by the sea-<br>In her tomb by the sounding sea" **He finishes the poem, smiling at me. The boys fall asleep and Jack and I walk out.

"Edgar Allan Poe fan?" I asked, slightly shocked that he knew the poem, let alone knew the whole thing word for word. He smirks.

"Big time." I laugh. "Nah, I learned it to get girls. CHicks dig that poetic crap." I laugh again.

"We do, do we?"

"Apparently. You seemed pretty impressed." I blush and he smirks again. "Admit it, I'm right!"

"Never!" he smiles mischeviously.

"Really? We'll see about that" he dives at me and I jump away. Jack chases me down the beach, catching up quickly. I turn back in the direction of the circle of logs. I hurdle over one just in time, but Jack is too late. He trips over the log and a branch hits him. He curls up on the ground, groaning and clutching his stomach. I rush over and crouch beside him. In one fluid motion, he swings his arm out, hitting my ankle and knocking me to the ground. Jack laughs.

"Bully!" he shrugs and smiles. I roll over onto my back. He props himself up on his elbow, lying on his side inches away from me. His sapphire eyes are bright and lively. He moves closer, hesitates, then leans in and kisses me softly. A warm, excited feeling pulses throughmy veins and I kiss him back. He pulls away after a second. I blush, but smile shyly. Jack grins excitedly and pulls me onto hislap. He kisses me again, longer and harder, holding me close to him. After a while we pull away again. I begin to get off his lap, but he holds me there. I rest my head on hisshoulder. Eventually, I get off his lap. Jack's still grinning. We sit there a few minutes in silence. Suddenly, the smile fades from his face.

"I have to go to bed. Are you going to stay up and read?" he asks.

"Nah, I'm going to bed too. I don't think I could keep my eyes open another minute." He smiles again. We walk back to the shelter. He squeezes my hand quickly, then goes and lies down. That night, I feel extremely giddy as I drift to sleep.

**Ralph fans, I'm sorry! Don't hate me, don't hurt me, I'm too young to die! I tried writing a version where she liked Ralph, but it just didn't feel right. I hope you liked it anyway. I hope you liked the poem too. I thought it was sweet and fits the story really well, I hope you agree. Please review with any criticism or opinions you may have about it because I'd love to hear what you think. Bye! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey. I know it's been a while since I updated (I get grounded a lot) but I'm back and I've got a lot of chapters ready. hOpe you enjoy this one!**

**Jack's POV**

I wake up with Leah curled up against me. My arm is around her and her head is resting on my chest. I smile and relax. A few minutes later, I hear Ralph starting to wake up. From the way he was acting yesterday, he mad a move on Leah and got rejected. Sucker! But, being the amazing person I am, I decide not to gloat. I have Leah, I don't feel any need to gloat. So, reluctantly, I pull my arm away and go to wake up the hunters. We've got work to do.

**Leah's POV**

I wake up that morning and Jack and the hunters are already gone. Ralph is still distancing himself from me. I go fishing with Piggy.

"I think Ralph is mad at me," Piggy nods.

"He has been acting kinda weird. Did you guys argue about something?" He asks.

"I wish. He likes me. As more than just a friend. And I don't like him that way." I explain.

"Oh. Well that means he's just a little embarrassed. He'll get over it, don't worry," Piggy reassures me. I smile.

"I hope you're right. I really didn't mean to hurt his feelings."

"Ralph's a smart boy. He knows you would never hurt him on purpose. Trust me." I hug Piggy. He smiles.

"Thanks." When we get back to camp, Simon's already gone and there's been no sign of the hunters. Ralph is watching the fire because Samneric wanted to go on the hunt. I help Piggy watch the littluns, playing pirates all afternoon. Sadly, I'm the designated damsel in distress and have to sit on a rock, waiting to be captured by the team of pirates or rescued by the "Royal Navy". I know, fun right?

Finally, the hunters get back. According to the sundial, it's 8 p.m. I'm starving. I sit down and begin eating.

"Hey Leah," Jack sits down and puts his arm around me. I smile. "How's your day going?"

"I'm the littluns designated damsel in distress. I got captured, rescued, and then captured again in their game of pirates about 50 times."

"Eh, that's the breaks. Comes with being the only girl on the island" I smile.

"So how's your day going?" He groans.

"So slowly. It took hours just for us to find something to hunt. But voila! We came bearing meat!"

"Would you like us to sing 'Hail the Conquering Hero?" I joke. Jack smirks.

"Yes that would be nice." I laugh. We both finish our food. "Wanna go for a walk?" I nod. He grabs my hand and helps me to my feet. We walk through the jungle, Jack never dropping my hand. We talk about hunting, our favorite songs, our lives before we crashed here. We walk for about half an hour before we see the camp between the trees. Jack stops. He pulls me closer and kisses me. For a long time.

"They're snogging!" Someone shouts. It's either Sam or Eric.

"Ooh, Jacky's gettin' some lip action!" The other twin adds. Jack smirks at them.

"Dude, get a room!" They shout in unison. I see Ralph behind them. He's bright red. Deciding to pretend he's not there, I stick my tongue out at Samneric. They laugh.

"You gonna be shoving that down our throats next Leah?" The first twin (I think it's Sam) says. "Cuz we'd be happy to oblige." I laugh.

"In your dreams!" I shout.

"So Jack gets a kiss and we don't?"

"Why Sam, I believe she may be picking favorites." A twin (apparently Eric) says. Jack laughs.

"Damn right!" He shouts. He dips and kisses me again. The twins laugh and whistle. I shove Jack away and glare at the three of them. Jack just laughs and puts his arm around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ralph. He's gone from hurt to embarressed to fuming. He's furious that I like Jack and not him. He disappears into the shelter. I hope he'll get over it. Soon.

**Ralph's POV**

Leah was making out with Jack. Now I know why she rejected me. She likes him. What does he have that I don't have? (Besides her.) What is it about me that Leah doesn't like? As far as I know, Jack's a self-centered jackass (pardon the pun), and back home he never treated his girlfriends that well. He stayed with 'em for maybe two weeks, then dumped them for the next pretty girl that came along. He always came first, he never gave a shit about any of those girls. Well, I'm not about to let him break Leah's heart. I wait till after she's gone to watch the littluns, then go and talk to Jack.

"You better stay away from her." I warn him. He looks confused.

"WHat are you talking about?"

"I swear, if you do anything to hurt Leah-" he cuts me off.

"I would NEVER hurt Leah."

"Oh don't pretend to be innocent. I've gone to school with you for eight years. I know how you treat the girls you date."

"You really think I'm gonna pull taht crap with Leah? I really care about her."

"And I'm sure you cared about those other girls too. Until something or someone better came along. I won't just stand by and let you break her heart."

"I won't! I couldn't if I tried. I know you don't think I'm the greatest guy around and we both know she could do a lot better. but I have to let her make her own mistakes and you should do the same." Jack says.

"I don't think so."

"Fuck off Ralph." Jack pushes past me and goes to play pirates with Leah and the littluns. I drop it for now but this certainly isn't the end of it.

**Sorry, I know Jack's a little bit out of character, but I had to put that part in there. I hope you liked it. if you did review, if you hated it, review, if you have absolutely no opinion about it, you should still review. I don't care what's in the review, any review will make me happy. THey're the only way this story will ever improve. So, yea, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase review. C'ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! First off, thanks for the reviews I'm getting. I'm seriously giddy right now. I'm extremely happy with what you guys have been saying. Well, anyways, here's the chapter. I reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaally hope you like it!**

**Roger's POV**

She's only been here about a month, but I'm already ready to wring Leah's neck. I've never actually spoken to her, but the way the others treat her and talk about her makes me wanna tear my hair out. If I have to hear about how cute and sweet and innocent Leah is one more time, I'm gonna hurl. SHE'S JUST A BLOODY FUCKING GIRL PEOPLE! As she reminded us the very first day, we saw at least one everyday before getting stranded here. But while her personality and annoying optimistic habits make me sick to my stomach she... interests me. THe cuteness and the sweetness and other such horrid traits, not so much, but her innocence sparks my interest. Her naivete appeals to me.

THere's tension in the tribe. It seems that anyday now, Jack's going to break away and take us hunters with him. It will cause conflict. Both Jack and Ralph have feelings for Leah, she will surely be involved in the fighting. If so, I'm positive she'll get caught in the crossfire. No way she makes it off the island alive. I'll make sure of that. Maybe she'll be of some use before the likely event of her untimely death.

**Leah's POV**

A lot can change in a month. A month was long enough for me to start "dating" Jack, and enough to gain, then lose Ralph's friendship. It took only a month to convince me that the boys on the island are the boys in _Lord of the Flies _(making me a teensy bit afraid of my boyfriend and very much terrified of Roger.) In only a month, I went from the picture of health, to puking my guts out in the jungle. Lovely, yes?

Because of my theory about _Lord of the Flies_, I have a bad feeling I know what today is. I hear the conch sounding in camp, but I know it's not Ralph calling the meeting. Jack begins talking.

"THere's been a lot of talk lately about getting rescued. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's a load of bullshit," _Dear sweet Jack, always a glass half full that one, isn't he? _"We've been on this island over to months and we haven't seen a single plane, helicopter, or ship. We've been so focused on keeping up the damn fire and being orderly and proper, that we're worse than when we started! Things are falling apart, and we need to stop acting like they're not. Ralph won't give up on the fire and he's to the point of obsession. He ain't a proper chief anymore" I hear a few people quietly murmur about what he's said. Sadly, in many ways, he's right. Things are falling apart but we've been playing pretend like everything's fine and dandy. But Ralph's doing his best to keep order and who knows where we'd be if it weren't for him. "We need to have a re-vote for chief." _Don't do it Jack. Please don't do it, _I think. I slip out of the jungle and back into the shelter."Who wants me for chief instead of Ralph?" I don't have to look at the group to know that nobody has raised their hands. "FIne. I'm sick of playing with you guys anyway. If any of you come to your senses, you know where to find me" Jack walks back to the shelter to grab his spear and choir cape. I pretend to be asleep. He kisses my forehead gently, and then he's gone.

* * *

><p>My fever and nausea are gone by the afternoon and I'm allowed to return to working. Of course, my swimming trips with Ralph cease to exist, so I now babysit the littluns full-time. As the day wears on, boys start wandering off into the forest, never to be seen again. We all know where it is they're going. <em>Fuckin' traitors. <em>Eventually, the littluns go to the pond with Piggy, relieving me of my duties. THe remaining big'uns, Ralph, SImon, and Samneric, are all sitting in a circle trying to think of something that'd occupy their boredom. I join them. We sit in silence until one of the twins (I think it's Eric) hops out of his seat.

"Guys, guys, guys!" he says excitedly. "I know what we should do! Let's play truth or dare!" he suggests. THe other boys groan.

" THat's such a girly game!" Ralph whines.

"It'll be fun! We could play it without the truth part!" He insists. I kinda like that idea.

"And we could have punishments for chickening out!" I offer. He nods.

"SOunds good to me. Ralph, Sam, what do you think?' Simon says. _ha! It WAS Eric! _I think. THe boys shrug and nod.

"What should the punishment be?" Ralph asks.

"The dare-er gets to give the dare-ee a huge wedgie!" Sam insists, smiling deviously. The others agree.

"Nuh-uh. NO way I'm letting you guys give me a wedgie." I immediately say.

"You can have a different punishment."

"How 'bout she has to snog whoever made the dare?" Eric suggests. They nod.

"For a minute!" Sam adds. I cross my arms and glare.

"Gag me with a spoon." Ralph, Samneric and Simon smirk.

"It's either that or the wedgie." Simon says.

"You're not getting out of this one" Sam tells me.

"Fine. But no repeating dares." I say huffing a little. "SImon you can go first." SImon looks around the circle, tyring to think of who to dare. His eyes stop on one of the twins.

"Sam, I dare you to... go to the other groups camp and bring something back without getting caught." Sam smiles.

"This'll be a piece of cake." he replies, sauntering off into the jungle. He returns about ten minutes late with wrapped around his head like a turban. "OKay. My turn." He looks around until his eyes rest on me. " Leah, I dare you to climb to one of the highest branches of the tree you fell out of the first day and hang upside down by your legs for five minutes." Sam looks very proud of himself.

"You call that a dare? I could do that in my sleep." I skip over to the tree and climb up swiftly to the highest branch. "God this thing's thin!" I say to myself. I hear the boys betting on how long I'll last. I take a deep breath and hang upside down on the branch. Sam begins to count the seconds.

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9" I can already feel the blood rushing to my head. I imagine myself on the beach, at home, at a baseball game, in detention, at summer school, anywhere but dangling more than 50 feet from my doom. "45...46...47...48...49...50..." I think I feel the nausea coming back. _I"m not in a tree, I'm at a WHite Sox game, _I tell myself. I begin humming 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game.' "96...97...98...99...100...101...102...103...104...105..." I start playing scenes from my favorite movies in my head: the death scene in _Gladiator,_ the matchmaker scene in _Mulan, '_Once Upon a December' in _Anastasia, _Sirius' first appearance in _The Prisoner of Azkaban. _I list my favorite TV shows: Supernatural, Criminal Minds, American Idol, The Office, Outsourced, Breakout Kings. "231...232...233...234...235...236...237...238...239...240...241...242...243...245..." _COme on Leah! Fifty five seconds, _I think. I list the names of my many cousins: Macey, Cara, Lizzie, Liz, Becky, Mike, Willy, Jack, Marc, Jim, Casey, Ali, Ella, James... "300!"

"Finally!" I pull myself into a sitting position then climb down. "Better luck next time, Sammy boy." I say, patting Sam on the back. We go back to the circle and continue the game. We go around taking turn after turn, everyone chickening out at least once. Everyone except me. The guys are really trying now. Their egos are at stake. It's Ralph's turn and his eyes lock on me.

"Ooh, I got a good one for you Leah. Hey Sam, do you think the hunters will be back at camp yet?"

"This late? Hell yea." Ralph smiles.

"Excellent. Leah, why don't you go pay our friends a visit?" I start for the trees. Easiest. Dare. Ever. "And while you're there, give Roger a big fat kiss on the lips, will ya?" Shit. He's got me there. Even if Roger didn't hat my guts, Jack will be there. Even though he hurt me, I'm not spiteful enough to do the same to him. Slowly, I turn to face them. Ralph's smirking. I take a few steps forward, take Ralph's face in my hands, and kiss him. For a minute, as agreed, but no longer. Ralph is grinning triumphantly. Samneric just stare in shock. One of them leans over and whispers to Ralph,

"Did you get any tongue?" I walk over and slap him, not hard, but enough to get the message across: I heard that and no, Ralph did not get any tongue. His brother laughs. Piggy and the littluns choose this moment to return from their little field trip to the pond.

"I gotta go put the littluns in bed. G'nite guys!" The guys disappear into their shelters. I walk the littluns to their shelter and get them to lie down and go to sleep. Once they're all snoring quietly. I go back out. THere's nobody there, or so it seems. I feel someone's arms wrap around me, and I scream.

"Sh, sh, Leah, it's just me." I recognize that voice.

"What are you doing here Jack?" I whisper harshly to him. His face is covered in lines and scribbles of red, brown, white and black. He looks wild, powerful, savage. Just like the book said he would.

"I was lonely."

"There's twelve boys over there, one of them could've kept you company" I reply.

"I wanted to see you, talk to you. I missed you. I've really come to enjoy our night time conversations."

"THen why'd you leave?" I mean to sound angry, but my voice comes out soft and vulnerable. Jack pulls me into his chest, hugging me, and kisses my forehead.

"You know I had to. I can't stand having Ralph as chief. I don't trust him."

"What about the rest of us? When you left, you took the hunters with you. We can't survive on berries and fruit alone Jack! And the fruit's all gone bad. I had food poisoning for a week just from one of those mangoes. You've left us all to die!"

"Then come with me. I'll take care of you, you'll have fresh food to eat. I can protect you." he says.

"You know that I can't." I insist.

"Please," Jack begs. He leans in to kiss me but I step away. I turn my back to him.

"You should go Jack," I tell him. He reaches out and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Leah-" he starts.

"Go! Now!" I'm facing him now, tears welling up in my eyes. Jack steps back, realizing that he's hurt me. I rush into the shelter away from him. I can't take it anymore.

**Yea, so it's a little different from what I usually write but I hope you liked it all the same! Please review, I love hearing what you have to say!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, I've got a lot of chapters already written, it's just taking me a while to put them up. Thanks for the reviews guys, they're really encouraging. Here's the next chapter, hope ya like it!**

**Jack's POV**

I know I've hurt Leah. I could see it in her eyes last night. But I didn't mean to! How could I have been so stupid? Everything she said is true. The littluns were already getting sick. Leah too. It's only gonna get worse for them. With them being sick, and Leah losing her lunch every five minutes in the bushes, those kids are going to starve. Sure, Samneric can hunt, but if they were lucky enough to catch anything within a week, it'd only be enough to feed about two members of their tribe.

The hunters are all gone; I've opted to miss the hunt. I can't concentrate. I'm sitting by myself in a cave at Castle Rock, thinking. Suddenly, it hits me. As fast as I can, I use the clay to mask every visible inch of my body and sprint to the other tribe's camp. When I get there, Ralph, Samneric, and Piggy are all sitting in a circle talking. Judging by the unpleasant sound coming from the bushes, Leah has food poisoning again. I spring up on a rock in front of them.

"My hinters have caught a pig, we're going to have a feast tonight. You guys can come and anyone who wants is welcome to join our tribe." Before they can react, I take off into the woods.

**Leah's POV**

Oh joy of joys. Guess who's got food poisoning again. That's right, me. What do I win? Round the clock babysitting courtesy of Simon. Whoop-de-doo. I don't get it. I didn't get a babysitter last time, why now? When I ask Ralph, his answer is simple.

"Because I said so."

"What are you my dad?" Ralph scowls. "What's got his knickers in a twist?" I ask Simon.

"He thinks the hunters are up to something. He doesn't trust Jack." He explains. A look of fear crosses my face. "What's wrong?"

"I just said knickers. Your British-ness is contagious! Forgive me America!" I hold my fingers in the shape of a cross and stick it out in front of me. Simon laughs. We sit in the shelter, talking, telling jokes, Simon occasionally checking to see if I have a fever. (F.Y.I. I do.) Eventually, we're the only ones besides the sleeping littluns at camp. The others are out buddying up with the hunters. I see Simon glancing longingly at the jungle. He hasn't been to the meadow in two days. "You can go if you want. I don't mind." I say. Simon looks tempted to take my offer.

"I can't leave. What if you get sick again." He asks.

"I haven't thrown up in a few hours, my fever's going down, and I'm smart enough to know that if my lunch stops by for a visit, run for the bushes, not for the hills. I can take care of myself for an hour or two. I'm 17." he smiles gratefully and starts toward the jungle. I pull out my copy of _Lord of the Flies _and begin to read. I'm on chapter 8, _A View To Death. _Sounds pleasant doesn't it? I stopped about halfway through last night and I'm just about to get to the action.

I have only two or three pages left in the chapter. I'm getting nervous. Everything that happens in the book happens to the boys. So, right about now the hunters are going insane. I've gotten to the good part, the boys are searching for a new victim. They've found one and… oh my god. I think I'm going to be sick. I leap up and hurl myself into the jungle.

I can see the boys mobbing on the beach, attacking their prey. Simon. I take a deep breath, launch myself into the center of the circle and shove Simon out. The boys pound me with the butts, and even the tips of their spears. I can make out every face, Robert, Roger, Bill, Maurice. Even Ralph and Piggy. Jack just stands on a platform watching, sneering, a look of pure amusement on his face. _Crazy bastard, _I think. A red substance drips into my eyes, blood. I can feel the spears tearing through my skin. My vision blurs, my whole body feels numb and then everything just goes black.

**Jack's POV**

The beast has entered the circle. The real beast. The boys attack furiously, no questions asked. The beating cointinues for a few minutes before Ralph and Piggy suddenly pull back, a look of shock and horror on their faces. Something or someone stumbles out of the circle. It's Simon. Ralph, Simon, and Piggy try to stop the boys from attacking, but it doesn't work.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yell. They all start yelling at the same time. All I can make out is 'beast.' I turn my attention back to the circle, where the beast has stopped moving. But something isn't right. Why would a beast be that small? Then it hits me. It's not the beast. In the center, bruised and bloody, is Leah. The boys are killing Leah. Ralph, Piggy and Simon keep trying to pull the boys away but the hunters just blow them off. Only one person can end it. "Stoooooooooooooop!" (A.N. That's supposed to be stop, not stoop.) I shout at the top of my lungs. The hunters steo back. Realization hits. I cut through the swarm to Leah. She's lying on the ground in a pool of blood, her eyes closed, and it doesn't look like she's breathing. I check her pulse. "She's still alive, just unconscious."

"Jack, she's gonna need to get treated," SImon says.

"Got it." I pick Leah up and carry her like a baby. I sprint off into the forest in the direction of a small creek I know of. When I get there, I start washing her cuts and start using strips of a choir cape to bandage them. I check her pulse again and it's stronger this time. I lay her down and put the rest of the cape over her as a blanket. It's all I can think to do.

**Leah's POV**

I wake up in the middle of the forest. Every inch of my body hurts like hell. I sit up rapidly and the motion makes my head ache terribly. I take a quick look around me. Jack is hunched over, sitting on the ground, his back against a tree. His forehead is creased, there are dark circles under his eyes, and he's zoned out, staring into space. I feel the urge to snap him out of it, try to make him feel better about whatever is upsetting him, when I remember that he's the bad guy now. I stand up slowly. THe movement snaps him out of his trance. He scrambles to his feet.

"Leah, you're awake! Thank god, you have no idea how worried I was!" I back away from him.

"G-g-g-get away from me." I stammer. He looks confused.

"Leah, what are you talking about?" he steps closer and reaches out for me.

"I said get the fuck away from me you crazy ass son of a bitch!" I take off into the woods despite my heavily injured body's screams of protest. Before Jack even has a chance to react, I'm gone, far away from where any of them can hurt me again.

**Duh-duh-duuuh! (That was my pathetic attempt at writing dramatic movie music). What do you think? What'll happen to Leah? WHat'll happen to the rest of them? Review if you liked, review if you didn't, I'd love to hear your thoughts (as always)!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, I know it's been forever since I last updated. I've just been so busy with sports and school and band (yup. I'm the awkward turtle that plays the clarinet) that I've been having trouble finding time to write. I'd like to thank everyone who's been so patient! Anyways, I finally have a chapter up and hopefull, it's a good one and you'll all love it to death. Read, love...**

**Jack's POV**

I tried running after Leah, but I couldn't find her. For a girl who was beaten to a pulp just last night, she's really fast. I can't understand why she just ran off like that. Maybe she thought I was one of the boys in the circle. No. She couldn't think I'm capable of that. Could she? Either way, I have to warn the hunters to be more careful next time.

"You guys have to be more careful next time. You beat the crap out of Simon, you almost killed Leah, that can't happen again." I look around at them. They seem to acknowledge what they've done, but there's something missing. There's no regret, no guilt, no remorse. "Don't you even care?" the boys snicker. Roger steps forward.

"Actually Jack. we don't. We've been talking, and things don't seem to be going well for ya chief"

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"It's over for you! You've gone soft Jack! You're weak. YOu don't seem to realize that we can't rest until we're the last ones on the island. You've been kicked out." Roger explains triumphanly. "I'm taking over here."

"You can't do this."

"Who's going to stop us? Their numbers are dropping like flies. We're gonna pick 'em off, hunt them down one by one. Starting with that slutty little bitch Leah," his last sentence fills me with white hot rage. I lunge at him, knocking him to the ground. I punch him in the jaw again and again and again. Once he gets over his shock he hits me in the gut and kicks me where the sun don't shine. I groan and pause, just long enough for Roger to hit me hard with a left hook. I punch him in the eye, then his nose, then wherever I can land a punch. Roger's strong, and a good hunter, but I'm older and bigger and I've been in more fist fights than I'd care to admit. I've got him pinned and he can't get in a hit. Seeing that their new leader is getting the shit knocked out of him, the hunters grab my arms and lift me off him. Even in midair, I'm kicking and swinging my fists and probably looking a like a little kid throwing a tantrum. One look at the boys faces' and I realize the full gravity of my current situation. I'm in some serious shit. Roger stands and whipes some blood from his lip. The boys drop me and I hit the ground running I sprint off into the forest, spears soaring around me. "You've really done it now Merridew! You're a dead man, you hear me? You're next!"

I run to the other tribe's camp as fast as I can. By the time I get there I'm completely out of breath. Ralph runs over.

"Jack, what's wrong? Where's Leah?" he asks.

"She ran away when she woke up this morning. I think she thought I was one of the guys beating her. I was hoping she came here." I explain.

"I haven't seen her. I'm sure she'll come back. Or you and the hunters will find her somewhere in the woods." he reasons.

"Shit! We really need to find her. Soon. Fuck, fuck, fuck." I continue cursing under my breath. He looks concerned.

"What's wrong? WHat are you talking about?

"The hunters kicked me out. Roger's the chief, and he's made it his personal goal to kill everyone who isn't a hunter. First her, then me." I explain.

"Bloody fuck." He swears.

"We have to find her before they do."

* * *

><p>We've been searching fo Leah for weeks and there's been no sign of her. We're all beginning to lose hope. After all, how long can a sick, brutally injured girl with twelve blood-thirsty savages hunting her sown survive on her own? Chances are, it's too late to save her. That's what the boys say when they think Ralph and I aren't listening. Logically speaking, they're right. But it doesn't feel true. My gut says there's still hope for that lost teenager from Chicago who fell into our circle two or three months ago.<p>

**Leah's POV**

It's been a month since I last saw any of the boys, and I'd like to keep things that way. They're monsters, the exceptions being Samneric and Simon, who weren't in on the attack. But they'll be with Ralph and Piggy and the others, so I must keep my distance. I'm barely scraping by on my own. My hip bones are prominent and stick out, stretching the skin on my emaciated stomach. THe vertebrae of my spine protrude noticably, my collar bone pokes out wisibly, and I can count all of my ribs. What little muscle I had is gone. I can hardly scavenge enough food to sustain myself and what little I have rarely stays in my stomach. To say I'm starving is an understatement. THere's only one way to describe what's happening to me. Even if we get rescued, I'll probably be too far gone by then. No amount of medical attention will be able to save me at that point. My only chance is to stop puking and gain a few pounds. Until that happens, I'm walking dead.

Today, I sleep until about noon. I guzzle down water, hoping to maybe reduce my fever. Yesterday, I found a grove of berry bushes with edible berries on them. I head straight over hoping maybe I'll be able to keep these down. ANd, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I do. I feast on the berries, knowing that it may be a long time before my stomach can hold food again.

I lie down in the grove, finally relaxed now that I've been completely filled. I doze off for a short time, only to be awakened by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Leah, Leah, Leah. I gotta say, you're good at staying under the radar. Sadly, all it takes is one little slip up." Roger walks up to me. "You didn't think you could hide from us forever, did you?" I glare at him.

"Congrats. You found a seventeen year old girl who snores, talks in her sleep, and occasionally yells at phone companies in the sky. Must've been real hard. Now go on and tattle to your master like a good little lapdog" HIs eyes narrow.

"I'm nobody's lap dog. I'm the chief. Your little boyfriend was run out of the hunter's camp a long time ago." My stomach churns and my heart beats faster than should be possible. If Roger's in charge then how long do I have? I do the only thing I can think to do. I make empty threats.

"You wouldn't hurt me. Not with Ralph and Jack out there. They're stronger than you and you know it! They'll find you!" He smirks maliciously.

"That's the plan."

**Huh? So what'd you think? Not too awful right? Did you like the suspense? What do you think Roger's up to? Is he gonna hurt Leah? Gasp! Is he going to use Leah to hurt somebody else? If you are at all concerned for the safety of our dear hero and her ex-boyfriend and her friends, you will review this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so it's been a while since I updated, and I'm super sorry for that. But I've got a really exciting action-y chapter ready for you! This is where the action is really going to start. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far btw! And I don't feel like reading the the disclaimer, so our dear ginger friend is here to read it!  
>Jack: Hammsters owns nothing except for Leah (thanks for that btw :).) Me, Ralph, ROger, and everybody else all come from the wonderful (and slightly angry) mind of William Golding.<br>Hammsters: Thanks Jack! And I agree, he is angry. And prejudice. Not ALL gingers have no soul. Anyways, everybody, enjoy!**

Roger practically drags me back to the hunters' camp. When we get there, two familiar faces catch my eye.

"Sam? Eric?" I make no attempt to mask the hurt in my voice. Their faces are heavy with guilt.

"We had no choice!"

"Roger's gang-

"-came and took us away in the night-"

"-tied us up and beat us-"

"-we couldn't get away!"

"I'm so sorry Leah!" they stammer out their explanation, finishing each other's sentences as usual. I smile weakly to show that I forgive them. Roger shoves me forward. We get to the center of camp and Maurice binds my hands and feet tightly with vines, practically cutting off my circulation. The "ropes" sting my frail wrists.

"You have everything you wanted. What could you possibly have to gain from capturing me?"

"Quite a bit actually. For one thing, other people's pain greatly amuses me.," Roger replies.

"So you're going to kill me for entertainment What am I, a gladiator?" he smirks.

"While I would like nothing more than to gut you like a fish and jump rope with your intestines," _Nice description, _I think, _Who. Guessed. It. _"We have other uses for you." This freaks me out a bit. One girl on an island with a whole bunch of hormonal teenage boys? I've seen this movie, and I don't make it to the sequel.

"And those uses would be...?" I ask nervously.

"Think about it. You've got my two biggest threats trailing you like love-sick puppies. What do you think will happen when they hear your screams of terror and pain coming from our camp?" He's trying to trap Ralph and Jack. He wants to kill them. No. I'll never cooperate. I'll stop those screams from coming, even if it means accidentally biting my tongue off in the process. Roger seems to know what I'm thinking. "And if you don't scream for us, the hunters have their own ideas of what to do with you." I'm pretty sure if this were a movie, I'd be crying right about...now. But it's not a movie and I refuse to give Roger the satisfaction. Roger grips my shoulder tightly and leads me into the forest. He pushes me till I'm facing a tree. He forces me into a crouching position then ties my wrists to the tree. I can hear Roger ask someone for another vine, a long thick one this time. That can only mean one thing for me.

The vine cracks as it makes contact with my back. I grind my teeth to keep from crying out in pain. Roger strikes me with the make-shift whip again and again and again. The lashes begin to break through my skin. I feel blood oozing down my back, but I don't scream. Roger drops the vine and crouches beside me. He slaps me as hard as he can, then turns my face to look at him, his long dirty fingernails digging into my cheeks.

"Not gonna scream, hih? Fine," he stands and walks back towards camp. Just as he's walking out of the jungle, he calls back to the hunters, "Have at her boys!" I tremble with fear as the savage hunters close in around me.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, I have two black eyes, countless bruises, many, many, many cuts, and I've been bitten (that's right. BITTEN) a grand total of seven times. The boys want me dead. Roger's got them convinced that I'm the bad guy. Since killing me won't do them any good, they figure beating the crap out of me is the next best thing. A few minutes after they leave, Roger walks up to me and whispers in my ear:<p>

"Prepare yourself. Pull that stunt again and tomorrow we unleash hell." He walks back to the camp silently. I whimper softly and cry myself to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next day is much of the same. Only, it hurts so much more. ROger gets bored of his whip and breaks a branch off a nearby tree. He beats my open wounds with it again and again. Tears streak my dirt coated face and blood paints the ragged back of my tattered t-shirt. He kneels beside me and digs his fingers deep into my cuts. I can't hold it any longer. I let loose a loud cry of agony. It is the king of all horror film screams, a shriek to be reckoned with, as that <em>Lord of the Rings <em>dude would say, one scream to rule them all. THere's no chance. If someone told me Ralph and Jack didn't hear me, I might believe it. If I knew for a fact that hell had frozen over moments before. Only one thought clouded my mind: what have I done?

**Jack's POV**

We're searching through the woods when we hear the Achilles of screams. A girl's scream.

"They have her," Ralph says cursing under his breath. That son of a bitch (Roger, not Ralph)! What has he done to her? We're pretty near the hunters' camp, but I don't care. Worry and fury fog my better judgment.

"LEAH!"

**Suspenseful. I wonder what our good red-headed friend is going to do to save his girly-friend.  
>Jack: I'm gonna save her!<br>Hammsters: 'Atta boy! But, don't be so sure. Never know what could happen. Review if you want to save Leah's life! And Jack! Cause I'm pretty sure William Golding meant for him to be "mentally ill" and Leah's the only thing keeping his sanity. Do it for the children! And me! But, mostly for the children!**


	12. Chapter 12

**OMG I'm so excited. I just couldn't wait to get this chapter up! I think it's the best one yet. It was certainly the most fun to write. From where we left off, it seems like somebody's days are numbered. What's gonna happen? Wanna know? Read on lovelies!**

**Jack's POV**

I begin to charge into the forest in the direction of the hunters' camp. If Roger thinks he can get away with hurting Leah, he's got another thing coming. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch it it's the last thing I do. Simon, Piggy, and Ralph grab onto my arms and pull me back.

"Let me go! Those bastards need to be taught a lesson!" I shout angrily.

"No Jack. You're outnumbered! If you go in there they'll kill you!" Ralph tells me.

"I don't care! Leah-"

"You're no help to Leah dead," Piggy says.

"But they're hurting her!" I object.

"Think about it Jack. THere's nobody in the world Roger hates more than Leah. Based on the power behind that scream, he wasn't killing her. He's keeping her around for some reason, and until we find out what it is, our best cet is for them not to find us." Simon reasons. I sigh.

"But what if we find out too late?" The boys have no response to that. I'd prefer not to hear any thoughts they may have about the subject anyways. It's best not to think about it.

**Leah's POV**

Jack's shout echoes through the trees. Roger smirks.

"Looks like your little boyfriend's coming for a visit. Let's hope he brings friends." I glare.

"Fuck you," I work up the courage and strength to say. ROger scowls and slaps me, drawing blood from the cut in my cheek. I whimper softly as his hand makes contact. He smirks and goes back to camp.

"Keep an eye on her," he instructs Samneric. They nod sadly and position themselves on either side of me. _So this is my life now I guess, _I think, falling asleep.

I wake up in the middle of the night to someone whispering my name. I open my eyes and see Samneric hovering a foot away.

"Good, you're awake," Sam says. THe two of them begin fiddling with the ropes on my hands and feet.

"What are you-" I start. Sam cuts me off.

"Sh, quiet," He whispers.

"We're letting you go," Eric tells me.

"Really?" I ask in grin and nod.

"Just because we have to suffer what Roger puts us through doesn't mean you should have to," The vines come loose and the twins help me to my feet. I hug them both and kiss them each on the cheek. THe boys smirk.

"Knew you were warming up to us," Sam says arrogantly. I glare.

"Must you spoil the moment?" I ask. They smile.

"Always." Eric answers. They hug me again. "NOw go, quickly, before somebody wakes up." _Don't need to tell me twice, _I think. I take off into the jungle. Despite my injuries, I'm still pretty fast. I try to stay near the camp though. The air is colder than it should, no birds have chirped, no waves have crashed and there's an emptiness in the air like that of a funeral. Something's not right.

**Ralph's POV**

Jack disappeared into the forest to hunt and blow off steam. The whole situation is hard on all of us, even more so on him. Piggy, Simon, and me head out to the woods near the hunters' camp to spy. We immediately hear Roger hollering his lungs out.

"What do you mean she GOT AWAY?" Samneric wince as he yells at them.

"We fell asleep when we were guarding Leah and she got out," Sam explains. Roger growls and lashes out. He hits them both over the head with his spear. It splinters and breaks. He punches them again and again and again. Sam, who is now taller, stronger, and far less identical to Eric as he was in the beginning, jumps to his feet and pushes him down. Roger snarls and knocks him to the ground with a strong left hook. He kicks him in the side and punches him in the gut. THen he stomps on his stomach, chest, and even his throat. He punches Sam in the face again. Sam cries out in pain. Roger goes to hit him again, but Maurice grabs his arm and pulls him back.

"Relax chief! Don't kill him, he's no use to us dead," Maurice says. Roger snarls, glares, and saunters off into his cave. Poor Sam. BUt...wait a second. Leah got away! She's okay! And I'll bet you anything the twins let her out. We can try to get Piggy's glasses back, and try to get them to let Samneric go without having to worry what those monsters will do to Leah! We run back to camp as fast as we can.

When we get to camp Jack still isn't back. We decide to go without him, his personal issues with Roger would probably cause problems for us anyways.

**Leah's POV **

THings at the camp have been quiet. Too quiet. That is, until I hear Ralph's voice comeng from beneath the cliff.

"We want Piggy's glasses back. And Samneric. You can't just ransack our camp and take whatever you want!" He yells up to the hunters. The boys snicker.

"To hell we can't! Who's gonna stop us Ralph?" Roger quips. "You?" The hunters snicker again.

"Go ahead and poke your fun. It doesn't change a thing. We'd have let you borrow the specs if you'd just asked, but you came in the night, painted like indians and stole 'em. And you forced Samneric to join you! That makes you a coward as well as a thief!" Roger howls with rage.

"THink me a coward do you?" He says. "I'd like to see you try to be half the man I am!"

"Ralph's twice the man you are, and twice the leader as well!" Piggy yells. Damn right! You tell him Piggy! "Which is better: rules and civilization, or rebellion and savagery? Peace and safety, or wildness and hunting? Rescue, or being trapped on this hell-hole forever?" The boys actually look like they're gonna agree with him. Roger. Is. _Pissed. _As Piggy continues his rant, Roger begins to lean his weight on a lever supporting a large boulder. I don't have to finish _Lord of the Flies_ to know what happens next.

Without thinking, I charge out of the forest full speed, crying "No!"

**Ralph's POV**

One second Piggy's ranting about civilization versus savagery, the next, a blur of red and pale white comes flying out of the forest yelling. THe blur skids to a stop in front of Roger. It's Leah. Her old White Sox t-shirt is torn to shreds in the back, and caked with blood. _What have they been doing to her? _Leah tugs with all her might on his arm. I can't believe I didn't notice the great big boulder he was trying to push at us until just now. He growls and throws her aside like she weighs no more than a puppy, which, once you take a good look at her, she probably doesn't. She whimpers and a thin stream of blood trails down her back. I dash up the side of the cliff. Roger strikes Leah with the butt of his spear. He raises his hand to hit her, but I grab his long greasy hair and yank him back. He snarls. He punches me square in the jaw, his fist as hard as steel and sends me stumbling backward. He shoves me hard into a rock and I hit my head. The world blurs and spins. He steps forward, preparing to hit me again when Leah runs up, spins him around, and kicks him in the nuts. He fallls to his knees groaning. Leah, Simon, Piggy, Samneric and me start for the jungle, Eric supporting his black and blue brother who can't even support his own weight. Roger regains his composure and pulls Leah back by the collar of her shirt. The rest of us stop and begin to go back for her.

"Guys go!" She hollers. We don't budge. "If you don't high tail it into that forest this minute, I swear to god, when he kills me, I'm gonna come back and fucking haunt your asses!" She hasn't changed a bit. We still don't move. Her face softens. "Please," she pleads. Reluctantly, we do as she asked and flee the hunters' camp.

**Leah's POV**

The boys sprint into the woods. Roger turns to me.

"Well what do we have here? Leah just couldn't stop herself from coming to the aid of her dear little Piggy. So sweet, what a shame," he leans in and whispers in my ear, "that not all fairytales have a happy ending." He shoves me backwards, then does it again. I'm mere inches from falling to a tragic, painful death.

"Hold on a sec boss-" Maurice begins.

"No! No more 'secs'!" Roger snaps. A few of the younger boys giggle. "Think that's funny do you? Grow up, what are you twelve?"

"Actually, yes," one brave boy from the group says. Roger shoots him a death glare and he backs off. Roger turns around and focuses on me. He shoves me again and I stumble over the side. Before I fall, Roger grabs my arm

"Any last words?"

"Go to hell," I say simply, glaring intensely. I spit all over his fugly mug. He glares, but then smirks.

"Ladies first," Roger says in a sickly sweet voice. He releases my arm and I plunge towrds the hard rocky terrain below. I cross my arms, crinkle my nose and brace for impact. The landing is surprisingly soft. TOO soft. I look up and see that I'm in the arms of an angel with red hair, his startling blue eyes looking down with care and concern. _Huh, _I think, _well at least this elevator's going up. _I close my eyes and allow the darkness to swallow me up.

**Spoiler alert! The angel is actually Jack. Leah assumes that the fall killed her and in my imagination Jack's good looking enough to be an angel, so it fits. I can't wait to post the next chapter. It's still in the works and it's taking it's own sweet time too, I'm sorry to say. Be patient, this stories coming to it's final chapters, having hit the climax, and it's days are numbered. I just want it to go out with a bang, so I'm being careful to make every word count. Reviews are inspiration and love. I KNOW you love this story, and you KNOW I could really use the inspiration, so let's help each other out. The more reviews I get, the sooner I update! Just so you knows, I'm not updating until I've gotten at least three reviews for this chapter, so pretty please review if you want more! Until next time peeps, PEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAACE!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everybody, thanks sooooooooo much for the reviews, they made my century! Okay, so it took a while, but I finally hammered out a pretty good chapter. It was kinda hard after all the action and suspense in the last one, but here it is! I really really really hope everybody likes it! **

**Jack's POV**

Ralph and everybody else thought I was hunting, but really, I've been hiding out by Castle Rock. I was determined to save Leah no matter what those gits did to me. But Samneric beat me to the punch line. Yet I stayed, somehow knowing that something would go wrong. Piggy said a few words too many and almost got himself killed by Roger. But Leah's his best friend, sweet selfless Leah, who risked her life to save Simon and wouldn't hesitate to do the same for the rest of us. She came to his rescue. When Roger attacked her, Ralph came to hers. Roger then went after him, Leah saved him and then, there was nobody left who could protect her. She made them all run and save themselves, leaving her alone once again with those filthy savages. But even savages have some limits, a shadow of a conscience, and Maurice was the last to attempt to save Leah, but to no avail. Roger, he has no limits, no conscience, and, I'm fairly certain, no soul. He's too far gone to be considered anything but animal, the monster hiding under your bed. The beast and Roger are surely one and the same.

He heartlessly drops the injured beauty off the cliff. The cliff for god's sake! It's as if he was never human in the first place! I run from my hiding place and catch her in my arms. I can feel her bones beneath my fingers; she feels practically weightless, like a starved cat. Rage boils inside me as I take in the damage Roger has inflicted on her. He'll pay for it, of that I have no doubt. Leah looks up at me in confusion. Even pale and sickly with dark circles under her emerald green eyes, her beauty manages to prevail, never failing to take my breath away. How I've missed those eyes. When she sees me, she smiles a little and closes her eyes falling into a deep, and hopefully peaceful sleep. She curls up in my arms. I glide into the forest, sprinting through the trees. I'm being as gentle as I can, carrying her fragile frame, fearing that the slightest touch would shatter her into a million pieces. I finally get to a clearing in the jungle and hear voices.

"We need to go back and get her!" Ralph insists.

"We don't stand a chance on our own! You and Eric maybe, but not me and Sam and Simon!" Piggy's voice answers.

"Hey! Why not me?" Simon asks, sounding insulted.

"I really don't think you want us to answer that." One of the twins (probably Eric) says. I rush through the trees towards them.

"Guys I need your help," I say when I reach them.

"You've got Leah!" Ralph gasps. Suddenly he looks scared and worried. "She's not dead is she?"

"No. Not yet anyway. She's, like, twenty pounds underweight at least." I set her down on the forest floor gently.

"Well, what can _we _do about it?" Simon asks.

"I don't know. Protect her I guess. The kind of stuff she's been doing, constantly sticking her neck out for us, it's killing her. I don't know how much more she can take. And Roger!" I exclaim in exhasperation.

"What about Roger?"

"He threw her off a freakin' cliff! If I hadn't caught her she would have been killed! I swear, it's like he's not even human anymore!"

"He threw her off a cliff?" Ralph says, shocked. I nod. "Okay, you're right. We need to protect her. But how?"

"Well sooner or later they'll realize that she's not dead. Ralph, you go to Castle Rock and spy on them and tell us when that happens. Piggy, it's probably best if you try to hide. There's no way in hell you can out run those hunters. Simon, you wait out somewhere between here and Castle Rock. If the hunters come, find some way to knock them off the trail. Try not to get yourself killed. I'll switch with you in the morning. Eric, I don't care what you do, just get Sam as far from them as you can. No way he can survive another hit." They nod and follow my directions. I sit by Leah and run my fingers through her hair. I sit like that for a minute before noticing tender pink scars peeking out at her side, some tinged with red, and a three inch gash in her cheek. Concerned, I gingerly turn her onto her side and pull away the tattered shreds of cloth remaining from the back of her shirt. Beneath is lash after lash, deep cuts dug into her skin, none fully healed, some that probably never would be. They criss cross over practically every inch of her back, narrow ridges both parallel and perpindicular to her spine. The hideous after math of her time with the savages. This is what caused her to scream that bloodcurdling scream that led us to her. I turn her to her other side and hold her close to me, kissing her head, rubbing circles on her back as gently as I can. I continue to run my other hand through her hair. I softly begin to sing "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars (Which, in my defense, I only know the words to because of my little sister.) Slowly, Leah's eyes flutter open.

**Leah's POV**

I awaken to a glorious voice singing softly. I open my eyes and see the angel. So this must be heaven. I glance around me and am surprised. Heaven looks a lot like the island. Suddenly, it hits me. This _is_ the island, I'm not dead, and the angel is Jack. I smile, immensely happy to see him again. His arms are around me, his hand is stroking my hair, and he's singing "Just the Way You Are." I smile a little more and snuggle into his chest.

**"Her eyes, her eyes,  
>Make the stars look like they're not shining.<br>Her hair, her hair  
>Falls perfectly without her trying,<br>And she's so beautiful,  
>And I tell her everyday.<strong>

**I know, I know  
>When I compliment her she won't believe me<br>And it's so, it's so  
>Sad to think that she don't see what I see<br>But everytime she asks me "Do I look okay?"  
>I say,<strong>

**When I see your face  
>there's not a thing that I would change.<br>Cuz girl you're amazing  
>just the way you are.<br>And when you smile,  
>the whole world stops and stares for a while<br>Cuz girl you're amazing  
>Just the way you are" <strong>Jack smiles at me as he finishes singing. That had to be just about the sweetest thing ever. I kiss him on the cheek. He leans closer and kisses me softly. For a long time. Eventually I pull back and rest my head on his chest. He continues to run his hand through my hair like he was doing before. For a moment I forget where I am, what's been happening to me. But then I remember and the fantasy comes crashing down. Emotions flood, my empty stomach churns and tears well up in my eyes. "What's wrong Leah?" Jack asks me, seeming concerned.

"I'm scared." I admit. He hugs me gently.

"Don't be. I'll protect you, I promise. None of them will be able to get in spitting distance of you," He reassures me. I smile.

"Thanks Jack," he kisses my forehead.

"I love you," He says.

"I love you too." Jack kisses me again.

"Everything's going to be okay." He promises.

* * *

><p>I wake up early in the morning, Jack's arms still around me. I"m still half asleep, but he's wide awake. He smiles when he sees that I 'm awake. I smile back and mess up his hair with my fingers. It's gotten to be so long in the time we've been here. The sun has made it slightly lighter, closer to strawberry blonde than the blazing red it once was, but dusted with a thin layer of dirt. I run my fingers through his hair, combing out the knots and tangles. He smiles more. We both sit up. I continue playing with his hair, smiling happily. He chuckles.<p>

"Having fun?" he teases.

"Yup," I reply. He laughs and tugs his head away. I begin combing my fingers through my own once short hair. Seeing his made me realize how disgusting mine must be by now. It's down to my shoulders now, long past the pixie cut I had been so thrilled about. I sigh. I must get it cut once I get off this hell hole. A morbid thought passes through my mind. _If _I get off this hell hole. My stomach growls softly, but apparently loud enough for Jack to hear.

"Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat if you want." he offers.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks anyways," I reply. He smiles, but still looks concerned. Can't really blame him. At this point, I look _beyond _anorexic. He begins to stand.

"I should probably go switch with Simon. I'll tell him to get some fruit for you on the way back." he says.

"Jack, you don't have to do that." I protest. I stand up. He smiles and kisses my forehead gently.

"You see, that is where you are wrong. Our psychic, telepathic friend Mr. Golding has me hypnotized. I am incapable of doing anything he doesn't want me to, and this is his way of making up for leaving you out of the book." Jack explains sarcastically. I laugh softly. He hugs me gently kisses the top of my head again. "I'll be back as soon as I get the chance," he lets go of me and starts for the jungle. I feel uneasy.

"Jack," I call. He turns around. I grab his shoulders, go up on the tips of my toes and kiss him. He puts his arms around me and kisses me back. We kiss a few seconds longer. Then I pull away. "Please be careful," I plead. He kisses me again for just a second.

"I will, I promise." And with that, he disappears into the jungle. The uneasy feeling in my stomach grows more and more unsettling as I stand in the darkness. I don't know how, but I know for certain something's going to go terribly wrong.

**Sorry, I know it's super corny, but every good story has a mushy gushy chapter in it somewhere! Hope you don't mind, I made it a little mushier than normal. Please have mercy! The next chapter is going to have a ton more action and I think it'll probably be longer than what I usually write. So, I reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaally hope you'll review, cuz that will inspire me to write better chapters faster and then it will be up sooner and you'll know why Leah's so worried. (Spoiler alert: it has something to do with Jack's stupidity) So review review review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been like an eternity since I last updated this story, but I'm making up for it by giving you a suuuuuper long chapter! Yay for super long chapters! It took me so long to write this one just right. I decided I wanted this to be one of the best chapters, and I think I may have succeeded but I'm not quite sure. May I prestent to you my chapter of a grand total of 5,056 words! Yay! Excitement! That's more words than any in this story, or any story I've written! Isn't that exciting? I think it is. Oh, FYI, that 5,056 words doesn't include this little beginning note or the little note I put at the end. That's the amount of words in the actual chapter. But yea, me is excited! Anyways, here it comes!  
>Simon: You're forgetting something.<br>Hammsters: No, I don't think I am.  
>Simon: Yes. You are. Again.<br>Hammsters: Okay fine. Wait a minute, whaddaya mean by _again_?  
>Jack: Well, you always forget it.<br>Hammsters: DO not  
>Jack: Do too<br>Hammsters: Do not  
>Jack do too<br>Hammsters: do not  
>Leah: Do too! Now will you all shut up? (Jack and Hammsters mutter angrily.) Hammsters doesn't own Jack, Simon, Ralph, Roger, or any of the other characters that appeared in the original stories. Those Lord of the Flies boys belong to William Golding. She is not William Golding. She only owns me and my fictional family. Got that? Good.<br>Hammsters: THank you Leah. Now everybody, on with the show!**

I wait a few minutes, but nobody comes. The uneasy feeling greatens and my heart pounds harder and faster. Simon should be here by now. Right? What if he got lost? What if the hunters got him? What if they got Jack? Oh no, what if the hunters got _both _of them? I pace back and forth in the meadow, rubbing the living daylights out of the sides of my forehead. _Should I go look for them? _What if Simon comes while I'm gone? _What if he's hurt, lying somewhere in the jungle cold and scared and alone? _What if he isn't? _What if he is? _I guess it's possible. _You bet your bottom it's possible!_ But what if I can't help him? _What if you can? _I really shouldn't leave. _No, you really should. _Jack would kill me. _JACK COULD BE DYING! _What if the savages get me? _That's an awful selfish way to be thinking ain't it? _The "voices" in my head argue and conflict. Finally, my conscience beats out the voice of reason and I hurdle myself into the jungle where Jack was headed. _I'm gonna hate myself for this aren't I? _Yes. Yes you will.

I've been running a few minutes when my foot hits a snag and I take a nosedive into the dirt. I cough, wipe a smear of mud off my forehead and spit the dust out of my mouth. There's a rustling in the bushes about ten feet to my right and a thin, pale, black-haired head peeks out from the brambles.

"Leah? What are you doing here, you're supposed to be with Jack," Simon says, sounding worried and confused.

"What are you talking about? He left about fifteen minutes ago to switch places with you. When you didn't show up I got worried and came to find you or Jack." I explain.

"I haven't seen him." That's not good. If Jack never made it here… No. None of the boys are smart enough or strong enough to take him. That can only mean one thing.

"Shit! That fucking idiot!" I shout.

"What?" Simon asks.

"It's Jack, Simon. None of the boys could catch him if they tried. Where do _you _think he is?" Realization spreads across his face.

"Fuck." He mutters. We hear an ululation from somewhere nearby. Fuck indeed.

**Ralph's POV**

I've been waiting in the jungle for hours and hours. I admit, I dozed off a couple times, but luckily, nothing has happened. Well, they did have one mouth-watering feast that _almost_ made me wish I was one of them. But that's not really what I'm supposed to be watching out for.

Roger just called for more food. God, does this guy _ever _stop eating? Now I have another ten minutes of watching them eat food I'm dying to have to endure. Ain't life grand?

As predicted, the feasting lasts another ten minutes. I'm really stating to question whether my job is really all that necessary. Rofer calls Maurice, his right-hand man and temporary waiter. HOW HUNGRY CAN YOU BE DUDE? Wait a second, I don't think he's demanding that Maurice bring more for him to eat.

"Maurice, fetch me my stick sharpened at both ends. And Leah's head." Maurice nods.

"Sure thing chief." A stick sharpened at both ends and Leah's head? What could he possibly want to do with that? Wait. You don't think... Oh I get it now! Aw, that's nasty man! Focus Ralph, focus. You have more important things to worry about than what they were planning on doing with Leah's head, however nasty it was. Her body isn't going to be there, and signs will show that it never was. And that? Yea, that's gonna cause some serious problems. I know I should run and tell the others. I know that they need to be warned. But I can't tear myself from the scene. I can't bring myself to leave without knowing exactly what's gonna happen. Maurice comes back with a frightened expression on his painted face. "Chief?" he asks nervously. Roger groans in irritation.

"What?" Maurice cringes.

"It's- it's- it's Leah sir," He stutters.

"What about her?"

"She's not there," He confesses in a rush.

"So? Her body rolled out to the ocean. It's only a few feet away." Roger shrugs it off. I sigh in relief. He doesn't suspect a thing. But of course, stupid, persistent Maurice won't give up on the topic..

"But sir, there's no blood." he whispers. An outraged expression crosses Roger's face and he howls in anger.

"What? But that's-" Suddenly, realization hits amd he knows what happened. "Jack. Listen up! Get your spears boys. We're going on a hunt!" The boys cry out in savage excitement.

"What are our orders chief?" Robert asks. Roger grins evilly.

"We unleash hell. No survivors. Capture Jack and bring him back to camp. Leave Leah to me." Roger tells him.

"Why are we letting Jack live and killing everybody else?" Maurice asks.

"We're not. We're gonna make him be there to witness the final moments of his dear, beloved, precious little Leah. Then he gets brutally slaughtered like everybody else." Roger explains. He laughs darkly, beginning with a low chuckle then deepening into a booming laugh, a vicious, heartless laugh. It sends shivers down my spine. Maurice begins to laugh a similar bellowing laugh, but not as frightening. Roger punches him in the gut and he begins couging. "The evil laugh is my thing." Maurice nods.

"Right. Sorry boss."

"Let's go boys!" Roger commands. The boys cry out and yell and shout and chant randomly. Soon, all the savages have vanished into the trees. This is not good, not good _at all. _If those ass-wipes find Leah, or Simon, or Sam, or Eric, or Jack, or Piggy, or me, we're in some very deep shit. Somehow, it feels like we already are. I can't figure out why I'm being so paranoid. Has it been this hot all day. Bloody fuck, the forest's on fire. Oh yea, this is some very deep shit.

**Leah's POV**

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, guess what? They did. THe fucking forest caught on fire. Of course it's on fire. Why wouldn't it be on fire? What else could be expected on this hell hole? Simon and I take off running away from the hunters and the raging flames. Smoke is thick in the air, billowing in endless clouds of heat, ash and cinders. Flames hiss and spew, the heat burning and stinging our eyes. We run at full speed through the trees. As time wears on, the smoke clears more, but the hunters grow closer and closer. The hoops and hollers and ululations become louder and louder and louder. We hear someone calling our names.

"Leah! Simon!" We run faster. The person keeps calling. THey sound closer by the second

"Simon, they sound close! What do we do?" I yell over the chaos and eruptions of noise.

"Just keep going! Maybe we can outrun them!" We run for two or three more minutes when it becomes certain that we most definitely _cannot _outrun them. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I scream at the top of my lungs.

"Relax Leah, it's just me." I sigh in relief.

"You scared the shit out of me Ralph!" We hear an especially loud yell from behind us..

"Maybe we should get back to-" a spear flies past Simon's head, "running for our lives!" Simon finishes. We take off running once again. Within minutes, the hunters are mere yards away. In the last five minutes, they have gained twice the ground we have.

"Guys, there's no way we can outrun these hunters!" I yell.

"Well what else do you suggest we do then?" Ralph asks. We stop short just as we're about to run into a tree. Inspiration hits me.

"Climb!" I order them. The boys do as I say. I"m almost immediately two or three feet higher than them. We stop about twenty feet above the ground, each on different branches several feet apart. The hunters, too caught up in the wildness and mob mentality, run right past us. We sigh in relief. "_That _was a close one,"

"I'll say!" Simon exclaims. A little too loudly.

"Did you hear that?" Maurice asks.

"I think it came from over there." Shit.

"Guys, I think that's our cue to get a move on." I whisper.

"But there's nowhere to go," Ralph protests. I sigh.

"Follow my lead." I crawl to the end of the branch I'm on. _Here goes nothing, _I think. I launch myself from the tree into the next one. I land on my feet, but slip and fall off the branch. I catch myself on the branch below it and pull myself up, groaning from the amount of strength (which I don't possess) it requires.

"Are you all right?" Simon asks.

"I'm glorious," I groan sarcastically, examining the scrapes and bruises left by my fall. I crawl over to make room for the boys, and as I'm doing so, my phone falls out of my pocket. I react fast and catch it just in time, then hold it in my hand, too lazy to put it away. The boys leap over into the tree then climb to seperate branches like we'd done before. Out of habit, I slide the phone open and look at the screen. Sad to say, I have not gotten any texts (sarcasm XD) It's 3:00 in the afternoon, good to know. I take a glance at the upper left hand corner. Holy shit. "Guys, I got a signal! I GOT A SIGNAL!" I shriek excitedly. I wave my phone in the arir frantically. SImon and Ralph cheer in excitement. Suddenly, a spear comes whizzing through the tree past my head, taking my cell phone with it. "And there it goes."

"Shit," Simon mutters.

"Bye signal," Ralph jokes sadly. We hear the approaching shouts of the incoming hunters.

"Go, go, go, go!" I command. We drop out of the tree. My fall is less than gracefull. Lucky for me, one of the boys landed before me and catches me before I face plant into the mud. Yay Simon!

"Are you okay?"

"Yea thanks." He smiles and puts me down. The three of us sprint into the woods. The hunters are so close, I can practically feel the sting of the whip, the burn of the vines, Roger's fingers digging into my wounds. My eyes begin to water from the smoke still thickening and billowing in clouds from the inferno.

We've been running for a few minutes when we come to a dead end. The flames eat away at the forest everywhere I look and hunters pour in from all sides. We're trapped. Not thinking, I charge at the nearest line of boys. I somehow manage to get through. _Red rover, red rover... _I spring all out for about five minutes before collapsing to my knees. I cough and gasp and, sadly enough, puke a little bit. I fall onto my back and rub my head with the palm of my hand. It suddenly occurs to me that I've left behind Simon and Ralph. Oh my god, what have I done? I was so stupid, so selfish! Now the only hope left is that they were able to escape the hunters as well.

**Jack's POV**

It was all planned perfectly. I went to the hunters camp, I made sure Roger left with the others to lead the hunt for my hide. Then I used the specs that I , ahem, "borrowed" from Piggy to set the whole forest on fire. It's going so well! Now, to find my target. He _will _pay for what did to Leah, I'll make him if it kills me. Which, it most likely will.

Roger's a good hunter, one of the best. After all, I taught him everything he knows. But he learned all his tricks from me. I know all of them like the back of my hand, the flaws in the tricks themselves, and the mistakes he always makes. He makes easy prey. I find him after about five minutes of searching.

"McAllistor!" I yell. He turns and a look of shock and rage crosses his face.

"You are a dead man Jack Merridew!" Roger yells. I smile like a psychopath (I'm beginning to think I might be one.)

"Oh, I know," I say. I put the tip of my spear into the fire. I stare at the newly enflamed weapon, completely mesmorized and stick my fingers into the flames for just a moment, for good measure. "It's really not a good idea to play with fire Roger," I say, sounding slightly more crazy by the second. I snap out of my trance and thrust the flaming spear at Roger's head. He ducks just in time to avoid getting hit, but it hits a tree behind him creating a wall of fire. Just according to plan. There is now only one narrow pathway through the raging flames, and it's behind me. Roger sees the situation here, do or die, and he's the kind of guy who's always thinking of himself first. He's eyeing the path, trying to figure out how best to get past me.

"Jack, let me past. We can both get out of here okay, just let me past." He reasons. I laugh a malicious, deranged laugh, a madman's laugh.

"You're not going anywhere." I say.

"This is insane. _You're _insane!" He yells.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Leah, I'll make sure of it."

"Seriously Jack, if we- don't get the- hell out of here,- we're both gonna- pay for- what I did- to Leah! I- can hardly- breathe!" He chokes out between coughs.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" I holler. He looks at me like I'm the craziest person he's ever seen. Well he's sadistic! That definitely makes him crazier than I am!

"Screw this!" he cries. Roger turns and leaps through the flames. He's not getting away that easy.

"Get back here McAllistor! I'm not done with you yet!" I yell, sprinting into the fire after him.

**Leah's POV**

I sprint through the woods in search of Samneric, or Simon, or Ralph, or any of my friends really. I've been looking for them for the longest time, but have seen no sign of them. I'm really starting to worry that I won't find him, that the hunters got to them first, when I see a certain blonde boy emerge from the jungle up ahead. He takes a look around and sees me. He waves and starts jogging over to me. All of a sudden, one of thesavages, Robert I think, appears behind him, moving at a slow hunters tread, a hunting knife in his hand.

"Ralph!" I scream. He looks confused. Robert quickens his stride, raises the knife, and plunges the blade into Ralph's back again and again and again. Ralph collapses to the ground, clutching the place on his stomach wher the blade went all the way through his back and stomach. I duck out of view, peeking out wo that I can see what happens. Roger sneers as Ralph coughs and sputters, blood dripping from his mouth, then runs off into the forest. I dash out from my hiding place behind a tree and fall to my knees at Ralph's side. "Oh my god, oh my god, Ralph, I'm so sorry! Ralph, it's going to be okay, I promise, I'm gonna take care of you," I put my arms around him, hugging him gently and supporting him, blood soaking my hands and the front of my tee shirt. Ralph's breathing slows, along with his heart, and his eyes begin to droop. "No, no, no Ralph stay with me."

"L-Leah," he manages to whisper.

"I'm right here. Ralph please. Please, please stay with me, don't give up. It's all going to be okay. Someone will find us, you're going to be okay, just please Ralph, don't give up." I plead. His eyes shut. I gently hit his face repeatedly, but he doesn't wake up. His heart is barely beating. I begin to sob, softly, then steadily growing to hysterically. "Help! Somebody please help us! Somebody! Please." But nobody comes. I cry into Ralph's shoulder. If somebody doesn't come here, Ralph is going to die for sure.

The fire is beginning to spread towards our direction, but I can't bring myself to move. Ralph is somehow hanging on, but barely. I feel like I'm being watched, like there's someone there, seeing everything that happens but refuses to do anything to stop it. I decide to ignore it. Big mistake. I feel a hand clamp over my mouth. I hear a deep chuckle.

"Looky what we have here. I don't think Jack would be very happy about this at all." Roger says. I yell every profanity I know at him, but my screams and curses get muffled by his hand. Roger chuckles again. "Say goodbye to your little friend Leah. You're never going to see him again." With that, he kicks Ralph right where Robert stabbed him and drags me, kicking, punching and screaming, away from him. He's finally taken his hand off of my mouth.

"Ralph, Ralph! Simon, Eric, Piggy! Somebody! JACK! JACK HELP!" Roger snickers at my attempts to get somebody's attention.

_"Jack, help!" _He repeats, taunting me, sneering. _"_Scream all you want sweety. _No one_ can hear you." He whispers harshly in my ear.

"Jack," I whisper, a tear rolling down my cheek.

Roger drags me to the pond that Ralph and I used to swim in. _Ralph. _I start to cry louder.

"Shut up!" Roger barks in my ear. I whimper softly, but stop crying. He shoves me forcefully and I fall face first onto the rocky ground at the edge of the water, banging my head hard. He grabs my collar and pulls me forward till I'm lying face-down in the water. I prop myself up on my hands only to be pushed back down, hitting my head once again. Roger continues to hold my head under the water for a long time. I squirm and struggle and fight him, trying (and failing) to free myself. He just pushes down harder. I finally break free and sit up, gulping in deep breaths of sweet air. Roger growls and shoves me back underwater. "Stay down!" He hisses. If I were above water, I'm pretty sure I'd be crying again. My heart drums faster and faster, my blood pounding harder. Pressure is building up in my brain and I feel like my head's about to explode. The sorld spins around me. I slip in and out of consciousness, my heart beats becoming weak and far apart. I feel less and less need to fight for my life. My mind begins to go blank, my vision becoming spooty and blurred. All of a sudden, the pressure on my head releases and I push myself up out of the water. Over my gasps for breath, I hear yelling and grunting. I look behind me and see Jack pinning Roger to the ground, fists flying. Roger attempts to fight back, but Jack's a lot taller and a lot stronger, so he gives in and just tries to shield his face. Jack lashes out in blind fury, hitting Roger wherever he can land a punch. Meanwhile, I'm still gasping for breath. Jack gives Roger one last blow to the head, knocking him out. Jack wipes the sweat from his forehead with his arm, then rushes to my side.

"Leah, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" He asks, checking me over for any sign of injury.

"Oh god Jack, it's horrible! Simon and- and Ralph and me, we were running, and then I had cell reception, and then I didn't. And- and the hunters, they were everywhere! And I lost them, but then I found Ralph. Oh my god Ralph! He was- and then Robert- and then I tried calling for help but- and then Roger, he-" Jack rubs circles on my back.

"It's okay, it's okay," he comforts me, "What happened to Ralph?" I sniffle and wipe away a tear.

"I think he's dead." I whisper. A shocked expression crosses Jack's face.

"It's going to be okay," He whispers. I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I start tapping on Jack's shoulder.

"Jack, Jack!" I point behind him and he turns around just in time to see Roger vanish into the woods.

"Aw shit! Come on," he lifts me up in his arms amnd starts running after Roger, carrying me bridal-style. I curl up in his arms and snuggle into his chest. Something doesn't feel right. I feel dizzy and nauseas and my head is pounding. My head is extremely sore from where I hit it on the rocks when Roger pushed me. My injuries feel worse than usual and I feel beyond light-headed. Jack continues running through the forest, branches snapping and smacking us in the face. We reach the beach and Jack sets me down on my feet. "Stay here," He takes off after Roger and I take off after him. Jack catches up to Roger in about five minutes, while I'm still pretty far behind. Jack tackles Roger and returns to pummeling him. I finally reach them and try to pull Jack off him, but I'm not strong enough. "Leah, let go!"

"Stop it Jack, don't kill him!" I yell.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." He demands furiously.

"Don't sink to his level, Jack. You're better than that! I won't have you becoming a monster." I say. He sighs.

"But Leah, think about what he's done." he reasons. We hear a deep cough grom behind us, a man clearing his throat. We turn and see a young naval officer staring at us curiously.

"Might I ask what this you man did to deserve getting the crap kicked out of him?" The officer asks.

"Um, you see sir...'' Jack begins explaining. He is cut off by the loud cries of the hunters. Three boys come charging out of the jungle: Eric, Simon, and Piggy. Eric is supporting Sam and Simon is carrying Ralph's limp body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The hunters sprint out soon after.

"What have you been doing, having a war?" The naval officer asks, taking a look at both the injured and the painted boys before him.

"Somethin' like that," Maurice says, leaning on his spear.

"No deaths I hope," The officer says jokingly.

"Not so sure about that yet," I say, glancing at Ralph and Sam.

"Ah, one girl on a deserted island with only boys? Hope you men have been treating her well," he says.

"Some of us have," Jack says, shooting a dangerous glare at Roger. "Show him the casualties boys," Jack commands. Simon and Eric set Ralph and Sam down in front of him. Jack gives me a soft push forwards so I'm standing in front of him as well.

"What happened her?" he asks, looking at Sam and Ralph.

"He got the shit kicked out of him," Eric says, gesturing to his brother.

"By him?" The officer asks, pointing to Jack.

"Hey!" Jack shouts indignantly.

"No, by him," Simon points to Roger. "And we're not sure what happened to Ralph.

"He was stabbed by one of the hunters," I say, 'I saw." Robert stares at his feet guiltily.

"And what about you little missy?" The officer asks me. Reluctantly, I pull up my shirt halfway and turn away, revealing my ribs, lumps and bruises and showing off my battle scars.

"Ew," He says.

"She got the shit kicked out of her too," Simon replies.

"By him?" The officer says, pointing to Jack again.

"What the hell man?" Jack asks, sounding extremely insulted.

"No, by him," I say, pointing to Roger.

"I see. _You _are in a heap load of trouble young man. Come on, me and the rest of the crew have a ship over there. We came when we saw your fire. You'll all be okay now." We begin walking toward the rowboat that will take us to the Navy ship the young officer came on.

"Are you all right Leah? You don't look so good," Jack says. _Great. Just what every girl wants to hear from her boyfriend. _I shakd my head. Everywhere I look there are black spots and my head is pounding like crazy. I see three of everything and the world has begun to spin again. I become dizzier and dizzier. My whole body has gone numb. There's a loud ringing in my ears. I can see Jack's lips moving, but I can't hear a word he says. The next thing I know, I'm crashing onto the rocky shore and the world has gone black.

**Jack's POV**

One second I'm talking to Leah, and the next thing I know, she collapses onto the rocks. Her head begins to bleed from where it made contact with the ground and her body is shaking and convulsing. Her open eyes have rolled back and she's gasping for breath.

"What's going on?" I shout, fear creeping into my voice.

"She's having a seizure!" The officer shouts.

"What do we do?"

"I don't know!" He admits, "Get her onto the rowboat. There's a doctor on the ship, he can help if we can just get her there." Roger begins to laugh maniacally.

"He's not gonna help her." I send him a glare.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you know that there's a kind of toad, where it's blood is fatally poisonous? I learned that from the last "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. I do remember seeing a toad in the water she was in, and it just occured to me that the water _was _an odd color."

"You sick bastard!" I yell.

"Guys! Sorry to interrupt your little crime show, but Leah's not breathing! Neither are Sam or Ralph!" Simon exclaims. The officer curses under his breath.

"Get them all into the boat, now!" he barks. "We've got to get them to the ship, that doctor's the only chance they've got!" Roger continues to laugh insanely as we load our dying friends into the rowboat with the officer.

"There's not enough room! Jack, Simon and me should go with to help carry them, we'll have to come back for everyone else!" Eric says. We pile into the boat and row like there's no tomorrow. Soon, we reach the shi[. Simon, Eric and me carry Ralph, Sam and Leah into the doctor's office.

"My god, what's happened here!" The nurse exclaims when she sees them, Leah still experiencing her seizure.

"They're not breathing! They need to see the doctor as soon as possible!" The doctor comes in and makes us leave. We try to protest but he says we have to. They might have to operate, and apparently that's not a pretty sight. _Please let them be okay. Please let Roger be wrong, _I think as I take one look behind the closing door into the doctor's emergency room.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Eric and I are both still awake, waiting outside the office for news of Ralph, Simon, and Leah's condition. The nurse comes out, looking uneasy.<p>

"What's happening? Are they all right?" Eric asks nervously.

"I have good news and bad news." The nurse tells us. "The good news is, we've managed to restore the heart rate and breathing."

"What's the bad news?" I ask.

"Your friend, the girl, she's gone into a coma. This could last days, weeks, months, or even years. The young man that was stabbed, his wound hasn't been healing well. It's infected meaning that we won't be able to give him stitches. Also, the blade went all the way through his spinal chord. If he should survive, he'll most likely be paralyzed. Both the young woman and the other young man have severe internal bleeding. I'm surprised they've survived this long with it. And the girl has been poisoned." She says.

"So, what does that all mean?" Eric asks.

"The three of them probably won't make it."

**Duh. Duh. DUH! Btw, that was supposed to be dramatic piano music. Oh no! THat crazy son of a bitch poisoned dear sweet little Leah! Fatally poisoned I might add. Except if the doctor saves her. THen it won't really be fatal will it. But she might not live! Oh no! And Ralph and Sam might die too! Oh noes again! What will happen next? I don't know, I haven't quite decided yet. Especially Ralph. His fate is the most iffy. Sam's destiny has already been decided, I'm pretty sure I know what'll happen to Leah, but I have yet to come close to making a decision on Ralph! Review and tell me if you want them to live or not! Review and tell me what you think will become of our dear friend Roger! The Fate of the Boys is in your hands! Heheh, see what I did there? But anyways, only you can save them/condemn them, so review like there's no tomorrow!**


	15. Too Little, Too Late

**Hey everybody, it's been forever and a day since I last updated this story, Me is so sorry! Please forgive me! I wanted to get this chapter just right, cuz guess what. There's only one more after this! Oh no! That's kinda sad. But I might write a sequel or a one shot or something after this just for the heck of it cuz I'm enjoying this story sooooooo much. But anyways, thanks so muchsies for the reviews, record number for this chapter! Yay you! So read the chapter and review. Oh, and please don't hate me!**

**Doctor's POV**

The kids won't talk about what happened to them on the island. All we know is what they said before the boys and the girl started, well, dying. There's no other way to describe it, they're simply rotting. All three have gone into a coma. The girl has severe head trauma, internal bleeding, and the damage done to many of her vital organs is terrible. And of course, there's the poisoning. It worked it's way almost completely through her system. It came so close to reaching her heart. It had some kind of chemical reaction in her brain, she has seizures constantly because of it. The boy, the one with the brother, I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Both arms are broken, along with his fibula, his throat is smashed in and bruised badly, he needs a breathing tube. His heart beats are irregular, the tissue is torn pretty bad, he's black and blue all over. His heart's actually gone out twice, he stayed with us though. The last one, the blonde one, doesn't have it quite as bad as the others. However, when he was stabbed, the blade sliced completely through his spinal chord, severing his nervous system badly. Unlike the others, whose after affects would be short-lived, should he survive, he would always need physical therapy, have trouble getting around, and his life would most likely be shorter than if he hadn't been stabbed.

The other kids are torn up over what's happened to their friends. The little boys divide their time pretty equally between the blonde and the girl but are too scared to see the black and blue one, the majority of the older boys spend about an hour of visiting per patient. There are also the kids who, when visiting, look guilty and troubled. One boy refuses to visit any of them. He's been confined to his cabin and constantly accompanied by guards wherever he goes. Wonder what _he _did. Anyways, there are also the two boys who never leave. Ever. Friends actually have to bring them their meals because they refuse to leave the room for even a second. One is the other twin. He's constantly at his brother's side, waiting for some sign of life.

"It's only a matter of time," he always says, "Soon. You'll see! He'll be up and around again in days!" No one has the heart to tell him that the chances of that are slim to none. Then there's the red-head. The girl's boyfriend apparently. Same situation as the twins pretty much. Insisting she'll be up soon. Never, ever leaving her side. He holds her hand, strokes her hair, sings softly under his breath to her. I've noticed how extremely attached to her he is. Kind of odd, don't you think? The nurses have been taking bets on whether or not she's pregnant. I really hope not. The girl doesn't even weigh enough for one person! She's more than 40 pounds underwieght. There are two other boys who visit her a lot, a fat one with glasses and a tall, scrawny kid with black hair. They don't do much of anything, just come in and ask how she's doing. Same answer every time: not. Good. I _really_ hope these kids get better. Soon.

**Third Person**

Machines hum, heart monitors beep. Three teenagers lay still in a deep, dreamless sleep. Nurses check in constantly as the day wears on. Young boys come in groups on and off to visit their suffering friends. Two boys, one seventeen, another only fourteen, never leave the sides of two patients, the girl and the other half of Samneric. The red-headed seventeen year old boy is slumped in his chair, sleeping, his hand still holding the hand of his girlfriend. A breathing mask is strapped to her face, barely keeping her alive. Everything is silent and still when suddenly, the beeping of a heart monitor quickens and grows louder. The girl's bed begins to shake as her body convulses. The makings of yet another seizure. But this time's different. Just as the shaking stops, the girl's eyes pop open. The red-headed boy watches in shock. She begins to struggle against the restraints holding her to the hospital bed and the breathing mask. Breaking her arms free of the restraints holding them, she fumbles with the mask, trying to pry it off her face, but it's strapped on too tight. Awake, the girl can easily breath on her own, and now the mask chokes her. Her pale face darkens, turning slightly blue. The boy, no longer sleeping, is frightened into action.

"Doctor Robinson! Nurse Jackson Somebody! We need help over here!" He shouts. The nurse comes running over and rushes to undo the straps of the mask and the restraints binding the girl to the bed. The girl bolts up into a sitting position and gasps for breath. She finally catches her breath, and gives the nurse and her boyfriend a thumbs up, still panting a little bit. The nurse sighs in relief and goes to find the doctor, leaving the girl and the red-head alone (minus the two comatose patients and the visitor that won't leave.) The boy throws his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Leah, I was so worried about you!" He exclaims. Leah pats his back awkwardly.

"Jack, you're hugging me- kinda tight. It- kinda- hurts." She gasps. He releases her and smiles apologetically.

"Sorry," She grins and reaches up and hugs him. The two sit and talk for a while, while the doctor comes in and out to do check-ups and X-rays. Later, Jack goes to get the two other boys who visit her all the time, Simon and Piggy, who fill her in on everything she missed while Jack sleeps.

**Leah's POV**

Good news! I'm not dead! Woohoo, break out the champagne and whiskey! Bad news: I'm still being held against my will in stupid intensive care and Sam hasn't woken up yet. It's been two fucking weeks! What's taking him so long? It's really making me worried. What if he never wakes up? Eric's not taking it well. In my time here (well, the time I've spent here while I wasn't in a coma), I've only seen him sleep once!

Ralph woke up a few days after I did. I was there! Yay me! We don't know much about his condition though cuz the doc's got him hopped up on pain medication. All the nurses will tell us is that things don't look good for him right now. They won't even explain to us what the hell that's supposed to mean! I swear, if this continues much longer, I'm gonna fucking kill somebody!

* * *

><p>Wahoo! Party time! Sam finally woke up today, the doc's taking Ralph off his meds, and they're finally letting me out of this hell-hole infirmary! Best day ever! Eric finally left the intensive care unit. At last that kid will get some rest. I've been keeping Sam company for him. Sam's pretty antsy. He's obviously dying to get outside, but his condition is way too unstable. In the time we've been on this ship, his heart's gone out three times and he's stopped breathing four times just today. Still, I can't help but feel bad for the poor kid. Intensive care is no place for a fourteen year old boy. I look over at Sam, who's staring wistfully out the window.<p>

"I'll be right back. Do you got everything you need?" I ask. He nods. I wander around the ship in search of the doctor. I finally find him in the cafeteria. "Yo Doc!" I holler. He raises his eyebrows at me.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, hello Doctor Robinson," I correct myself. He nods in approval. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure Leah. What do you need?" he asks.

"I was wondering if maybe I could check Sam out of the infirmary for the rest of the day." I tell him. His face hardens a little bit, then relaxes.

"Sorry, but no. It's too risky for him right now." Doc says.

"Oh come on Doctor Robinson! He's just a little kid! It's not fair to keep him cooped up all day!" I whine.

"Look, I wish you could, but we can't take the chance of him getting hurt," He explains.

"I promise I won't let him get hurt! I'll be careful! Please Doc!" I plead.

"Fine. But he has to back in an hour. THat means 5:00, you got it?" I nod.

"Thanks Doc, you're the best!" I run back to the infirmary to tell Sam. "Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam! Guess what!" I exclaim.

"What?"

"The doc's letting me check you outta here for an hour!" I tell him. He grins.

"Really?" Sam asks excitedly. I nod.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," It takes all my strength to lift the boy, who's grown to be twice my size, out of his hospital bed and help him into a wheelchair. (Maybe the little kid thing was a _bit _of an exaggeration.)

I wheel him up on deck. I show him around, take him to visit the other boys, get him ice cream from the cafeteria. When he gets bored of thinking of things to do, we just sit on the deck and talk.

"Hey Leah?" he says. "I don't think I have much longer." He admits. I gape at him, shocked by his confession.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course you do, you've been doing great!" I object.

"No I'm not. I feel like complete and total shit, my heart's been speeding up and slowing down all day, I've had to have my heart restarted three times, I'm black and blue from head to toe. Face it Leah, my days are numbered."

"Please don't say that Sam," I plead.

"Leah, I know it'a a lot to ask, but can you look after Eric for me after I'm gone?" I feel my eyes beginning to water. "He's my best friend."

"Sure Sam. I can do that." I finally choke out. He smiles.

"Thank you." The two of us watch in silence as the sun goes down. "It sure is beautiful" He comments. I nod. After the sun goes down, I wheel him back to the infirmary and put him in bed. He's asleep before his head hits the pillow.

That night, one heart monitor sped up. One heart monitor sped up for ten seconds, then stopped all together. That night, one boy had to sit by and watch as his brother's heart gave out one last time. The doctor and the nurses did their best to revive him. Used every method they could think of to resuscitate the poor fourteen year old child. They gave their all to try and save the boy, but it was no use. Their efforts were too little, too late. Sam had seen his last sunset.

That night, there was one more child crying, and one more angel in heaven.

Many tears are shed that night. Some for serious reasons, some for silly, childish things. Roger wept for the freedom soon to be taken away from him, Robert for the humanity he lost on the island. Piggy cries for the loss of innocence, Simon and I for the loss of a friend, Ralph for the loss of his legs. And Jack, he cries for his favorite hunting knife, which he just realized he forgot on the beach. But the most terrible of them all are the pained, heart-wrenching tears spilled by Eric over the loss of his beloved friend, his best friend, and his dear brother. Sam.

**Aawwww. That's so sad! Me thinks I'm going to cry! This was the hardest chapter to write, I wanted to get it just right, cuz after this there's only one more after this. If you couldn't tell (it wasn't really that clear from that final paragraph) Ralph is now paralyzed from the waist down and Sam died. I couldn't quite figure out what to do to say that Sam died, so I kinda went all William Golding-y. Don't forget, it's not over! I still gots one more chapter in me! An epilogue, so you know what happens to them when they're grown ups. So watch out for the next chapter, I've already got a good start on it!**


	16. Fairy Tales

**Hey everyone. Last chapter! SOOOOOOOOOOOO Sad! I'm crying! I just want to mention, before I start the chapter, that my friend Julia has no taste in Lord of the Flies characters. Seriously, who likes Ralph and Piggy more than Jack and Roger? It's wrongness dude! This chapter, in which Jack gets a happy ending and Ralph's ending isn't quite as happy but is still happy, goes to her. Enjoy!**

_**12 years later:**_

It's been a long time since the island. I'm twenty eight years old, as are Ralph, Piggy, Roger and most of the other boys. Eric is twenty six and Jack is twenty nine.

I wish I could say that the rest of our lives have been a fairy tale. That absolutely nothing has gone wrong for us . But then I'd be lying. Not that we've had bad lives, we've been pretty happy, but we've got a lot of issues too. ARoger's in a prison for the criminally insane, but he gets parole for good behavior a lot (goody two shoes). Almost all the hunters are in an insane asylum. Piggy, Simon, and Ralph spent about three years there too. Of course, the nut house wasn't completely a bad thing. Ralph met his current girlfriend (and soon to be fiancee, he just finished ring shopping) there. Simon was reunited with his sister, who had, in reality, spent her whole life in said insane asylum. Ralph spent ten years in a wheel chair before getting prosthetic legs two years ago. Jack spent three months in prison because, even though he totally deserved it, beating up Roger couldn't go without being punished. Eric and I are the only biguns that got off scotch free, minus a few years of therapy. And, in my case, six years of trying to gain back the weight I lost on the island (not an easy feat.) Retelling everything that happened to me on the island while testifying agains Roger in court certainly didn't help. But it alll worked out for the best. Roger McCallistor got a life sentence for the murder of Samuel Lancastor and the attempted murder of Arthur Jackson (Piggy), Ralph Madison, Simon Monroe, Eric Lancastor, and Leanna Carson (me.) Then there's poor, brotherless little Eric.

Things weren't so great for him when he got back. His parents did in a car crash while we were on the island. He'd been orphaned and had no relatives to take him in. Poor kid just couldn't catch a break could he? I made my family fly out to England for Sam's funeral, which I wouldn't have missed if you payed me. It was very nicely put together. The choir (what was left of it anyways) volunteered to sing for it and sang "Good Riddance." Not the most proper ceremony ever, but something Sam would've liked and the choir sounded beautiful. My family met Eric and loved him to death. With a lot of begging from Sarah, Ty, and me, my parents decided to adopt him. Yay! And on Eric's part, he adapted very well to his new older sisters (to describe me and Sarah as coddling and protective would be the understatement of the century.)

It was a long time before I saw any of the boys except for Eric again. With Ralph, Simon, and Piggy in an insane asylum in England and Jack living in England and being in prison aside from that, it was hard to keep in contact and make time for visiting. But we managed (ah, the wonders of Facebook.) Jack went to college in the U.S. He started the same year I did because of the previously mentioned jail thing. Unfortunately, we didn't go to the same school or live in the same state even, but we visited each other as often as we could. Our relationship was far from perfect though, and we had more than our fair share of break-ups (most of which went along the lines of "I'm a jack ass and you're a big fucking idiot!" or my personal favorite "Roses are red, violets are blue. We've been dating for a while, now I'm dumping you") but we always got back together sooner or later.

We've all graduated from college now and have jobs. Eric's a very successful photographer, Piggy's an astronomer, Simon is a famous illustrator, and Ralph became an air force pilot. Jack, inspired by Doctor Robinson, went to medical school to become a doctor and a surgeon for the Navy. I became an author. I've written mostly children's stories, for which Simon drew the pictures, a book called "Neverland" about a mentally disabled schizophrenic who unknowingly falls in love with her brother's murderer, and many others. But of all the books I've written, the most successful, and the most painful to write, was a nonfiction book, kind of like an autobiography, the very story you are reading right now, which I wrote with the help of my husband, one of my best friends, and a doctor I've become good friends with. (Roger's point of view was guess work.)

I'm not the little girl I used to be. I'm a grown woman with a job and a family. Yes, you read that right, a family. My name is Leah Merridew now. I haven't been a Carson in a long time. Jack and I got married 6 years ago right out of college, when I was twenty two and he was twenty three. We have three beautiful children who I love more than life itself: the five year old twins Samuel (Sam) and Kathleen (Kate) and two year old Amber. Little Sam, who we named for my adopted brother's brother, is the spitting image of his father, and Amber couldn't look more like me. Katie is a combination of the two of us with her father's fiery red hair and my emerald green eyes. They all have their father's hot temper and the twins have his heavenly singing voice. We don't know yet about Amber's voice, but the temper is certainly there, worse than in her older siblings, and she already has my habit of yelling at absolutely nothing when she has no one to unleash her fury on.

Our lives are nowhere near perfect, but no one's lives are. We argue quite a bit, our kids started talking back ten years early and, I admit, my dear brother Eric and my beloved husband Jack have gone to jail on numerous occasions for beating Roger shitless every single time he gets out on parole. But we're perfectly happy with the way our lives our headed. It may not be the stuff of fantasies or fairy tales, but we love our family, our friends, and our lifestyle. If we could go back and change it all, never gotten on that plane, never crashed on that god-forsaken island, we wouldn't have done things any other way.

**Wow. That was the fourth shortest chapter in this whole story! I'm sooooooooo sad! Me is crying right now. I'm not ready for this story to be over yet! I mean sure, I'm gonna write a one shot about Jack and Leah, and possibly a sequel if I get the inspiration for it, but it won't be the same! Thanks to everyone who has read this story, favorited it, added it to their alerts list, and/or reviewed it! You guys are so amazingly incredibly awesome! Also, big ginormous thank you to my awesome beta LiveLoveWrite-93! She rocks! Thanks to all you wonderful fanfiction peoples, you rock my fuzzy green socks off! Oh, and I've got another LOTF fanfic on the way, so watch out for that. I mentioned it in this actually, a teensy bit of a sneak peek kind of, it's gonna be called "Neverland" and one of the boys little sisters, by the name of Lizzie, will be a main character, along with my two absolute favorites, Jack and Roger! So yea, check it out when you have the chance, it should be posted soon! Thanks, luv you all, toodaloo!**


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